A man from Montgomery who was found guilty of disturbing a memorial service for Fort Deposit was given a term of 120 months in prison on August 7.
Sandra J. Stewart, the U.S. Attorney, said that 42-year-old Gerald Dyron Little got a 10-year sentence for improperly having ammunition that he used to shoot at a funeral. The judge told Little that after he got out of jail, he would have to go through three years of supervision.
Little will spend all 10 years of his punishment. In the government system, there’s no such thing as parole.
“It goes without saying that mourners should not have to fear gun violence when they gather to honor and remember a loved one,” Stewart said. “It is my hope that this prosecution will serve as a reminder that there is no place in our communities for actions like those Little took. My office is committed to ensuring that those who possess firearms and ammunition unlawfully, especially those who do so in a way that causes harm to others, are held accountable.”
Little was put on trial in March for the killing on June 26, 2021. At the trial, evidence and court papers were used to show what Little did at a memorial service for his step-uncle James Gipson. Little made a lot of noise during the service, so his family asked him to leave.
Witnesses say that at first Little did what was asked of him, but that he later came back with a black woman.
They fought with their families. As the fight got worse, Little fired a handgun.
Jerry Gibson, the brother of the person who died, was killed when bullets hit him and three other people at the funeral. It was proven that the shell casings found at the scene came from the guns that Little owned and used during the killing.
Little has been convicted of a crime before, so federal law says he can’t have a gun or ammunition. In Alabama, charges are still being worked out about the killing.
“This prohibited person showed total disregard for the law and committed an inhumane act of violence against an innocent group of grieving people,” said Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the ATF and our valued law enforcement partners in their efforts to confront violent crime. We will continue to work collaboratively and tirelessly to keep our communities safe from people who endanger our neighborhoods.”
The Fort Deposit Police Department looked into the case with help from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the U.S. Marshals Service. They worked together with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program of the Department of Justice (DOJ) that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to lower violent crime and make neighbourhoods safer.
In 2017, the DOJ brought the program back as part of a new effort to go after violent criminals. They told all U.S. Attorneys to work with federal, state, local, and tribal agencies as well as local communities to come up with successful, locally-based plans to reduce violent crime.
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