Jerry Johnson, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Missouri 2022

ST. LOUIS, MO – Jerry Johnson, 57, is headed to federal prison for four years after admitting to possessing firearms as a convicted felon and being linked to a shooting in May 2021. U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig handed down the sentence Tuesday, finding Johnson responsible for the shooting through a preponderance of the evidence.

The case began unfolding on May 24, 2021, when St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers raided Johnson’s home while investigating a recent gun crime. They found a small arsenal: two pistols and one rifle, all illegally in the possession of a man already barred from owning firearms. Johnson subsequently pleaded guilty on July 25 to being a felon in possession of a firearm – a charge carrying significant penalties.

But the firearms charge wasn’t the only shadow hanging over Johnson. During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, a witness stepped forward to place Johnson directly at the scene of a shooting that occurred near the intersection of Kennerly and North Newstead avenues in St. Louis. The victim, a woman standing on the side of the road, was struck by gunfire. Crucially, the shooting was captured on video.

Police quickly identified a green Cadillac as the vehicle used in the shooting. That same Cadillac, with its engine still warm, was discovered parked outside Johnson’s residence. The evidence, combined with the witness testimony, proved enough for Judge Fleissig to enhance Johnson’s sentence, acknowledging his direct involvement in the violent act.

This isn’t Johnson’s first brush with the law regarding illegal firearms. Court records reveal he was previously convicted on the same charge – being a felon in possession of a firearm – in a 2003 case heard in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. This prior conviction further complicated matters and contributed to the severity of his current sentence.

The investigation was a joint effort between the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case, securing the four-year prison term for Johnson. The conviction serves as a warning that illegally possessing firearms, especially when linked to violent crime, will be met with federal prosecution.

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