RICHMOND, VA – Richmond continues to grapple with gun violence as three local men have faced federal charges and sentencing this week for illegal firearm possession. The cases, highlighting repeat offenders and stolen weapons, underscore the ongoing struggle to keep guns out of the hands of those legally prohibited from owning them.
Devon Sherman Mickins, 26, learned his fate yesterday after a brazen display of a rifle on social media led to his arrest. On August 30, 2024, Mickins posted a photo of himself wielding a rifle on Instagram. Just four days later, Richmond Police (RPD) observed him openly carrying the same weapon near his apartment. Officers recovered the rifle, along with another firearm, from his residence. This wasn’t Mickins’ first run-in with the law; he already had prior felony convictions for malicious wounding, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, all committed in Richmond between 2019 and 2021. Mickins pled guilty on March 6 and was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office.
Javion Stamper, 25, attempted a hasty escape when RPD officers spotted him with a firearm tucked into his waistband on September 29, 2024. A foot pursuit ensued, and Stamper was apprehended hiding behind bushes. The recovered weapon wasn’t just illegally possessed; it was stolen and loaded. Stamper’s criminal history includes a 2019 robbery conviction. He pled guilty on April 25 and received a sentence of a year and nine months in prison from Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony handled the prosecution.
The third case involved Ross Allan Jefferson, 44, who was already on the radar of law enforcement with outstanding warrants in both Richmond and Petersburg. A traffic stop on May 7, 2024, conducted by Henrico County Police (HCPD) revealed a loaded handgun with an extended magazine hidden beneath the driver’s seat. The firearm’s serial number had been deliberately obliterated, and officers also found a .40 caliber round of ammunition in Jefferson’s pocket. Jefferson’s rap sheet is extensive, boasting ten prior adult felony convictions, including multiple drug offenses and a prior conviction for possession of ammunition by a felon in 2015. Jefferson pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and faces up to 15 years in prison at his sentencing scheduled for November 20. Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne accepted the plea, and the prosecution is led by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gilliland and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik S. Siebert, alongside Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; Eric D. English, Chief of Henrico County Police Division; Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; and Colette Wallace McEachin, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond, jointly announced these convictions.
These prosecutions are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive program aimed at uniting law enforcement at all levels with local communities to combat violent crime and gun violence. Launched in 2021, the program is a concerted effort to make Richmond’s neighborhoods safer. The relentless pursuit of those who illegally possess firearms remains a top priority for federal and local authorities in the region.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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