Joshua Jude, Gun Trafficking, Indianapolis IN, 2022

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A repeat offender is off the streets for a decade after admitting he armed the shooter in an Indianapolis gas station attack. Joshua Jude, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

The case unspooled after Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers arrested Jude on December 22, 2020, while pursuing an outstanding escape warrant. He’d previously skipped out on a residential reentry program while serving time for – ironically – unlawfully possessing a firearm. A search of his apartment turned up a .45 caliber handgun, quickly identified as stolen after Jude’s ex-girlfriend reported it missing on October 24, 2020 – the same day a man was shot in the shoulder at a gas station near 38th and Butler streets.

Investigators quickly connected the gun to the shooting. Two .45 caliber casings found at the scene matched the stolen weapon. Surveillance footage painted a damning picture: Jude, entering the gas station, pulling the handgun from his jacket, and handing it directly to another man who then opened fire. Jude later confessed to providing the stolen firearm to the shooter, sealing his fate.

This wasn’t Jude’s first dance with the law. Records show he’s racked up seven prior felony convictions in Indiana, including intimidation, battery, criminal recklessness, and possession of a controlled substance. Each conviction legally barred him from owning a firearm, a fact he clearly ignored. The ATF and IMPD worked together on the investigation, piecing together the evidence that led to his conviction.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana, Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Columbus Field Division, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Police Chief Randal Taylor jointly announced the sentencing. U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II handed down the 10-year sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash prosecuted the case.

The prosecution highlighted that this case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaborative law enforcement and community engagement. The Department of Justice launched a strengthened PSN strategy in May 2021, focusing on building trust, supporting community organizations, strategic enforcement, and measurable results – a strategy now put to the test with Jude’s lengthy prison term.

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