Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Jackson Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Assault on Federal Law Enforcement Officer
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison for assault on a law enforcement officer and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
De’Vadrick Markevin Booker, 24, was sentenced on February 8, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
Following a three-day trial in November 2022, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against Booker. The evidence at trial showed that on September 8, 2020, an ATF agent responded to assist Jackson Police officers with an ongoing investigation of an exchange of gunfire in a residential area of the city. As the agent drove down a residential street in the area of the gunfire, Booker emerged and fired several shots at the agent hitting his car. The federal agent escaped injury.
“But by the grace of God, this federal agent did not become a statistic,” said United States Attorney Darren LaMarca. “For the next 12 years, the citizens of Jackson are safer from this defendant. The U. S. Attorney’s office will not waiver in its commitment to prosecute those violent criminals who have no respect for the law or human life.”
“The collaborative effort of federal, state, and local law enforcement has led to the lengthy sentencing of this offender and is another example of our commitment to reduce violent crime in the City of Jackson and surrounding areas,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “ATF will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill, Kevin J. Payne, and Bert Carraway prosecuted the case.