Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Deron Lamar Foster (35, Tampa) to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The court also ordered Foster to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the commission of the offense. Foster had pleaded guilty on August 31, 2022.

According to court documents, Foster’s former significant other (Victim 1) and their six-year-old child (Victim 2) were victims of a shooting that occurred outside a Tampa apartment complex. Foster and Victim 1 had been arguing and were no longer living in the same residence at the time of the shooting. Victim 1 arrived at the apartment using a rideshare service. Victim 1 exited the vehicle and placed Victim 2 in the backseat of the rideshare vehicle while she went inside her apartment to retrieve a few belongings. Shortly after, the driver of the rideshare vehicle (Victim 3) heard five to six gunshots and realized someone was firing a gun at his car. Victim 3 fled from the apartment parking lot, with Victim 2 in the backseat, and flagged down an officer at a nearby pawn shop. Officers observed two bullet holes in Victim 3’s vehicle—one on the driver’s side door and one on the rear passenger door. Victim 2 had been sitting in the rear middle seat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting.

Foster fled from the area after the shooting but was arrested several days later by deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. At the time of his arrest, Foster was in possession of a loaded firearm. Analysis revealed it was the same firearm that had been used during the shooting at the apartment complex.

Foster had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As a result of his convictions, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

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.