Kevin D. Tunstall, Illegal Gun Possession, Illinois 2024

CHICAGO — A convicted felon has been charged with federal firearm offenses for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded handgun in Chicago this past weekend. Kevin D. Tunstall, 29, of Oak Forest, is charged with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Tunstall was arrested early Saturday morning near the 600 block of South State Street after officers observed him in possession of a loaded semiautomatic handgun while seated in a vehicle, according to the charges. This is not Tunstall’s first run-in with the law, as he has previously been convicted of a criminal felony and was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.

Holding gun offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods — violent crime reduction strategies. Project Guardian focuses specifically on investigating, prosecuting, and preventing gun crimes, and it emphasizes the importance of using modern technologies to promote gun crime intelligence.

Tunstall’s arrest is part of a broader effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and law enforcement partners to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, including by prosecuting individuals who illegally possess firearms.

Additional charges were brought against Johnnie L. Lee, 32, of Chicago, also for allegedly illegally possessing a loaded handgun in Chicago. Lee was arrested late Sunday night after a vehicle he was driving crashed into a Chicago Police car near the 3200 block of North Southport Avenue, the charges allege. He was taken into custody while in possession of a loaded handgun.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.

The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; Kristen deTineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in bringing these charges. The government is represented in the Tunstall case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shy Jackson, and in the Lee case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn McCarthy.

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