Roxbury Man Found Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, Reports U.S. Attorney

11 November 2005

A Roxbury man was convicted following a jury trial in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; William J. Hoover, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in New England; Kathleen O'Toole, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, announced that DAVID SEYMOUR, age 30, of 30 Williams Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts, was found guilty on Monday, November 7, 2005, by trial jury sitting before U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At trial, the evidence proved that at approximately 3:08 p.m., on August 11, 2003, Boston Police Officers responded to an anonymous 911 call reporting that a person was present with a gun near 1154 Harrison Avenue in Roxbury. The 911 caller described the clothes the man was wearing and his physical appearance. Police observed the male matching the 911 caller's description within minutes of the call and observed that he was with two other black males. Three police officers approached the men and asked them to display their hands. At that time, SEYMOUR began to flee while the other two men showed the officers their hands. The officers observed SEYMOUR grab something on his waist as he began to flee. Officers chased him for one and a half blocks. While chasing SEYMOUR, one of the officers observed SEYMOUR clutching his waist area. SEYMOUR ran into an alley area between a building and a car, at which time the officer observed SEYMOUR reach into his pants around the waist area, and throw something onto the ground. At that moment the officer heard metal hit the ground and upon looking down saw that it was a firearm. At that point, the officer who observed SEYMOUR continued to chase SEYMOUR across a parking lot area while another officer remained with the firearm. Shortly thereafter, officers caught up with SEYMOUR. They attempted to secure him with cuffs and he continued to struggle but eventually calmed down after he was cuffed. The firearm, a .380 caliber Sig Sauer Arms semi-automatic pistol, loaded with seven rounds of .380 caliber ammunition, was recovered from the scene. Following his arrest, and after being advised of his Miranda rights, and after waiving those rights, SEYMOUR was interviewed by Boston Police detectives. During the interview, SEYMOUR gave the detectives a taped confession, stating, among other things, that he ran from the police because he was carrying a gun, that the gun had bullets in the clip but that there wasn't a round in the chamber, and that he was carrying the gun because he had been shot at approximately 3 to 4 weeks previous on Williams Street by a 15 to 16 year old black male. The evidence also proved that SEYMOUR was a convicted state felon at the time the firearm and ammunition were recovered. Federal law prohibits individuals convicted of federal or state felonies from possessing firearms or ammunition. Judge Tauro scheduled sentencing for February 7, 2006 at 12:15 p.m. SEYMOUR faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment up to life imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $25,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Boston Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette E.M. Leoney in Sullivan's Major Crimes Unit.

Source: PR Newswire

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