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Kansas City Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Firearm Possession
Kansas City, MO – In a bizarre incident, Herbert Lee Jones, 55, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing a firearm.
Jones was stopped by a Kansas City police detective on February 14, 2020, after the detective saw him walking on Quincy Avenue south of 23rd Street. The detective attempted to stop him, but Jones started running away. When the detective caught up with him, he took Jones to the ground; during the struggle, the detective pulled a backpack off Jones. Jones broke free and began to run again, but the detective caught him and took him into custody.
Police officers recovered the backpack, which contained a loaded Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol with a magazine with 15 rounds, loose .40-caliber rounds, a plastic baggie that contained 4.3 grams of cocaine, a plastic baggie that contained 1.44 grams of methamphetamine, and two pill bottles that were not labeled and contained random pills that included opioids.
On November 2, 2020, Kansas City police officers attempted to arrest Jones on another outstanding warrant, but he ran into his apartment. As officers watched the apartment building, they heard three gunshots from inside the apartment, approximately 10 seconds apart. After the second gunshot, Jones’s girlfriend left the apartment. After the third gunshot, Jones left the apartment and was arrested. Jones, who had shot himself in the right buttocks, was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital.
Jones later told investigators that he had attempted to shoot himself in the head, but his girlfriend hit his arm away and the gun went off. The second shot occurred when he was laying down with the gun pointed towards his buttocks.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jones has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for attempted distribution of an imitation controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for larceny and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the violent crime reduction strategy was launched, strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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