Nashville Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison in Case That Left Child With Gunshot Wound to the Head
NASHVILLE – Kedrick Ross, 29, of Nashville, was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in federal prison for drug distribution and firearms charges, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Ross was charged in 2019 with three counts of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms; three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime; possession with intent to distribute marijuana, methamphetamine and Xanax, within 1,000 feet of an educational institution; possession with intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine, within 1,000 feet of a public housing complex; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and two counts of obstruction of justice. He pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2020.
“Because of Ross’s continued lifestyle of drug dealing and other criminal activity, an innocent child sustained life-altering injuries,” said U.S. Attorney Wildasin. “Too often, the reckless conduct of those involved in criminal activity results in tragic, unintended consequences as this case demonstrates. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue our pursuit of those who choose a lifestyle of crime without regard to innocent persons.”
On December 13, 2018, Ross, a convicted felon, was arrested in possession of a stolen Glock .40 caliber handgun, 208 grams of marijuana, and a mixture of methamphetamine near the Watkins College of Art in Nashville. While out on bond on these state charges, on May 29, 2019, Ross was in possession of a stolen Glock 9mm handgun, a stolen Glock .45 caliber handgun, marijuana, and methamphetamine, while in the Cumberland View Public Housing development, and on September 9, 2019, Ross was in possession of a stolen Glock .40 caliber handgun while in possession of methamphetamine, with intent to distribute. This firearm was determined to have been the same firearm that Ross left unattended at a relative’s house and with which his three-year-old son shot himself in the head on the same day and was critically injured. Ross later obstructed justice during the investigation of this incident by attempting to persuade his cousin to falsely claim that this firearm belonged to the cousin’s deceased husband.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Youth Services Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Safeeullah prosecuted the case.
