Source: Office of United States Attorneys
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Hammond, Ind., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing three firearms.
Roosevelt Nevels, Jr., 35, formerly of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 8 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 7, 2024, Nevels, Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.
On Nov. 7, 2021, officers of the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department were dispatched to Research Medical Center regarding a reported shooting. Nevels, Jr., who was the injured person, reported he was caught in between two vehicles shooting at one another at 7033 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, Mo. Nevels, Jr. reported that he was shot in the hand. Officers investigated Nevels Jr.’s account and were not able to locate evidence or witnesses to support his report of the shooting.
Upon further investigation, officers responded to Nevels, Jr.’s residence in Kansas City, Mo., where they located a blood trail in front of the house, leading to the door. The officers knocked on the front door, and a juvenile answered. The officers observed more blood on the living room floor of the residence.
The officers entered the residence to ensure no one inside was injured. They observed an AR-style pistol and a large amount of blood in a bedroom.
Investigators were granted a search warrant for the residence. While executing the search warrant, investigators recovered three firearms: a SCCY CPX-1, 9mm, pistol; a SCCY CPX-2, 9mm, pistol; and an FM-9, AR-style pistol. All the firearms were loaded. The AR-style pistol had damage near the trigger guard, appearing that the trigger guard was shot. The live round of ammunition in the chamber had blood on it.
Investigators also located a bullet fragment and two spent 9mm shell casings in the bedroom where the firearms were located and two cases containing 50 live .22 caliber rounds of ammunition in the kitchen.
Forensic investigators determined DNA samples recovered from the grips and trigger guards of all three firearms implicated Nevels, Jr. as a major contributor.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Nevels, Jr. was convicted of the felony offenses of endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest in 2018. Nevels, Jr. also has felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon – carrying concealed and unlawful use of a weapon – discharge/shoot firearm at a motor vehicle.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.