DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Northern District of Florida

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Pamela C. Marsh
, United States Attorney
Contact: Amy Alexander

Convicted Felon Sentenced to 14.5 Years for Federal Firearm Offenses

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Darius D. Williams, 24, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 14.5 years in prison yesterday for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and for possession of a stolen firearm.  The sentence was announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During his guilty plea in February 2015, Williams admitted to knowingly possessing a stolen firearm, after prior convictions for felony offenses.  In the early morning hours of September 14, 2014, a person was shot in the head outside a Pensacola bar.  A responding law enforcement officer pursued a suspicious vehicle that was fleeing the scene of the shooting at a high rate of speed.  When the vehicle stopped, Williams jumped from the rear seat, holding a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, and continued his flight on foot.  Williams was ultimately apprehended, and the arresting officer recovered the firearm that Williams had discarded during his flight.  Forensic tests revealed gunshot residue on Williams’s hands and clothes.  Williams’s DNA was also found on the firearm.  The victim of the shooting survived.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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Tampa Field Division