FORT WORTH, TX – A Fort Worth man is headed to federal prison for a decade after a brazen shooting that left an 82-year-old woman hospitalized. Jonathan R. Howard, 35, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The shooting, which occurred February 23rd, sent shockwaves through the neighborhood and prompted a swift investigation by federal and local authorities.
According to court documents, Fort Worth Police responded to the scene at approximately 9:40 p.m. to find the victim already en route to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet had pierced the door of her home, allegedly fired from the adjacent property owned by Howard. Investigators quickly zeroed in on Howard’s residence, discovering spent shell casings in his backyard – directly across the alley from the victim’s house.
A subsequent search of Howard’s home and vehicle turned up a small arsenal: a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, and a Taurus 9mm pistol. The discovery was particularly damning given Howard’s extensive criminal history. He already had prior felony convictions for forgery in 2011 and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance in 2019, legally disqualifying him from owning any firearms.
“This case highlights the dangerous consequences of felons possessing firearms,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton in a prepared statement. While the federal sentence focuses on the illegal possession of the weapons, Howard also faces separate state charges of aggravated assault related to the actual shooting. Those charges remain pending, and Howard is presumed innocent until proven guilty in that case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Dallas Field Division, Fort Worth Resident Agency, spearheaded the investigation, working in close coordination with the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith handled the prosecution, building a case that ultimately led to Howard’s conviction and lengthy prison sentence. The investigation underscores the ATF’s ongoing commitment to removing illegal firearms from the streets and holding violent offenders accountable.
The condition of the 82-year-old victim remains unknown. While the federal sentence provides a measure of justice, the lasting impact of this senseless act of violence on the victim and her family is immeasurable. Howard’s 10-year sentence serves as a stark reminder that illegally possessing firearms, especially in connection with violent crime, carries severe consequences under federal law.
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