Xavier Davell Shepard, Felon in Possession of Firearms, Alabama 2020

A Citronelle man was sentenced to 48 months in prison for being a felon in possession of multiple firearms. Xavier Davell Shepard, 45, had four felony convictions prior to his latest offense, including a conviction in 2013 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Federal law prohibits felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. Shepard’s latest offense was discovered after a burglary at a Citronelle home on February 12, 2020. The victim reported that one or more persons had entered the home and stolen ten firearms from a back bedroom.

The Citronelle Police Department later recovered four of the ten firearms after Shepard pawned them at various pawn shops. On March 8, 2020, a Citronelle Police Department detective interviewed Shepard about the stolen firearms. Shepard told police that he had been at the victim’s home a couple days before the burglary and that he had been doing odd jobs and washing cars around the house for some time.

Shepard said three other persons committed the burglary and that he bought five firearms in Citronelle from one of the burglars. Shepard said he acquired the firearms in the woods in Citronelle where the burglars had stashed the weapons. Shepard admitted that he later pawned the firearms for money.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Citronelle Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sinan Kalayoglu prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Shepard was sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of multiple firearms. This is Shepard’s fifth conviction for a firearms offense, highlighting the seriousness of his crime.

The case is a reminder that felons are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, and that law enforcement will take action to hold individuals accountable for violating this law.

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