Department of Justice

SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Pernell Deon Russell, 25, of Shreveport, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to evidence presented to the court, officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to a complaint of shots being fired throughout the day at a residence in Shreveport. When officers approached the residence, Russell’s mother answered the door and told officers she was not aware of a firearm in the residence, or any shots being fired. Officers proceeded to talk with her son, Pernell Deon Russell, who lived at the residence. Russell admitted to officers that he did have a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol that he had purchased from an individual, as well as 388 grams of marijuana that he intended to sell, in his possession.

Russell has a previous felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute narcotics and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.  He was charged in this case with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and pleaded guilty to that charge on September 13, 2022.

The case was investigated by the ATF and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Gaskins.

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.