Jamell Sanders, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Missouri 2021

ST. LOUIS, MO – A St. Louis man with a disturbing history of violence was sentenced to 6 ½ years in federal prison Monday for a reckless shooting at a Convenience Express gas station on North Broadway in January 2021. Jamell Sanders, 47, pleaded guilty in July to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, but the details revealed in court paint a picture of a far more dangerous encounter.

According to prosecutors, Sanders opened fire inside the gas station on January 15, 2021, discharging a 10mm handgun into the ceiling and then at the bulletproof glass protecting the cashier. He then attempted to breach the counter to access the two employees inside, even trying to fire through the cash slot. As he fled, Sanders allegedly pointed the weapon at a customer before unleashing more shots at a car in the parking lot. Twelve spent cartridge casings were recovered at the scene.

What’s particularly chilling is that this wasn’t Sanders’ first brush with fatal violence. During Monday’s sentencing hearing, a horrifying detail from 1992 emerged: a then 17-year-old Sanders fired a shot that went through a bathroom window, tragically striking and killing a 21-month-old child. He served eight years in prison for that crime, a history the judge clearly considered during sentencing. The senselessness of that earlier act hung heavy over the courtroom.

Sanders was apprehended when he returned to the Convenience Express with his children, a detail that speaks volumes about his disregard for the safety of others, even his own family. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), conducted the investigation that led to his conviction. The ATF’s Kansas City Field Division oversaw the case.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down the 6 ½ year sentence Monday, acknowledging the severity of the crime and Sanders’ prior record. While the charge itself was for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the court clearly recognized the potential for far greater harm given Sanders’ actions inside the gas station and his history of violence. This sentencing serves as a grim reminder of the cycle of violence plaguing some communities.

The Department of Justice, through U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming of the Eastern District of Missouri, prosecuted the case. The investigation highlights the ongoing efforts of federal and local law enforcement to remove dangerous individuals and illegal firearms from the streets of St. Louis. The Convenience Express remains open, but employees and patrons are undoubtedly shaken by the events of that January day in 2021.

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