Source: Office of United States Attorneys
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Contaurus Dermont Smith, 46, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on June 30, 2023, Columbia Police Department (CPD) officers responded to a shooting on the 900 block of House Street. Upon arrival, officers found Smith laying in the street with a gunshot wound to his leg. CPD’s Real Time Crime Center surveillance camera in the area captured the incident and showed Smith accidentally shooting himself in the leg. The surveillance also showed another person go back to the spot of the accidental shooting, pick up an object, and move it inside the home at 940 House Street. Based on that footage and a statement from another witness, CPD officers secured a search warrant for that home. Inside, they found four different firearms, including one with a machinegun conversion device attached to it that would allow it to function as an automatic weapon. Smith accepted responsibility for possessing the firearm with which he shot himself as a convicted felon and the court held him responsible for possession of the machinegun found alongside that pistol. Smith is convicted felon and is unable to lawfully possess firearms or ammunition.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Smith to 63 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Based primarily on Smith’s lengthy record of violence convictions and a prior federal conviction for the same firearm possession charge, Judge Currie granted in part the Government’s motion for an upward variance and imposed a sentence above the guidelines for this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Sanford is prosecuting the case.
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