Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Memphis, TN – A Memphis man who robbed a man at gunpoint and pointed his firearm at police officers has been convicted by a federal jury of felony firearm possession. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the guilty verdict today.

According to information presented in court, Christopher Travis, 24, of Memphis, and an unknown accomplice robbed a man at gunpoint in the city’s Catalina Street area near Sherwood Middle School on September 10, 2014. Travis and his accomplice reportedly assaulted the victim and stripped him of his clothing. Memphis Police Department (MPD) personnel were notified of the robbery by an onlooker. After arriving on the scene, officers saw Travis with the victim’s clothes. Upon seeing the officers, Travis fled on foot and retrieved a handgun from his pocket; MPD officers chased after him. After unsuccessfully jumping a fence, the defendant turned around and pointed his firearm at officers. An MPD officer subsequently shot at the defendant but didn’t strike him. Travis then managed to run through an opening in the fence and evade the officers.

According to court information, police set up a perimeter and located the defendant hiding in an open crawl space under a house located on Vanuys Road. After several verbal requests from officers, the defendant surrendered to law enforcement. The firearm that was pointed at the officer was located by a K-9 officer and his dog in a backyard adjacent to the house where Travis was found.

On Tuesday, December 8, 2015, a jury convicted Travis on one count of felony possession of a firearm.

Travis faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when sentenced.

Travis is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman on Friday, March 11, 2016.

The case was investigated by the MPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in an unified effort against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marques Young and Elizabeth Rogers prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.

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