KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Following Gun Battle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing the firearm he used when he was shot in a rolling gun battle.
Odell J. Jackson, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Jackson was shot on May 1, 2020, during a rolling gun battle in the area of Leeds Trafficway and Emmanuel Cleaver II Boulevard. Jackson was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when he and a passenger drove into a church parking lot and engaged in a gunfight with the occupants of another vehicle, a red Dodge Charger. During the exchange of gunfire that followed, the Dodge Charger struck another vehicle while being chased by Jackson. Jackson was shot in the eye and his truck collided head-on with a light pole.
Jackson’s passenger called the police. When Kansas City police officers arrived at the scene of the accident, Jackson was lying in the bed of the pickup truck, covered in blood, with a towel covering the bullet wound to his head. Jackson was transported to a local hospital.
Officers later searched Jackson’s truck and found a Ruger .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an obliterated serial number.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Jackson has prior felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.
Under federal statutes, Jackson is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
