Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Kansas, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after causing a disturbance by firing the gun on a public street in the Swope Parkway neighborhood.

Michael S. Simmons, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 11 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

On April 18, Simmons pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. This is his third federal felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Simmons was arrested on Sept. 18, 2022, when Kansas City, Mo., police officers received multiple 911 calls reporting that Simmons was standing in the street near the intersections of 55th Street, Swope Parkway and Cleveland Avenue, acting emotionally disturbed, removing his clothing, and pointing a gun at passing vehicles. Officers saw Simmons fire four to five gunshots in the direction of the ground and a nearby dog, prompting them to re-route traffic and create a perimeter of the scene.

Simmons initially refused to comply with the officers’ commands to surrender, instead rolling in circles in the grass. He appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance or alcohol and had difficulty walking and maintaining balance. Following his eventual arrest, officers located a Glock 22 .40-caliber pistol and six spent shell casings in the area where he had lain. Simmons later told officers he was under the influence of PCP.

Simmons was on supervised release at the time of his arrest, after being convicted in 2019 of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Today’s sentence includes 14 months in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release and 10 years in prison on the felon in possession charge, which must be served consecutively.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Constance. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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 of Justice 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.

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