DAVENPORT, IA – On August 31, 2022, a federal jury found Roylee Richardson, Jr., age 32, of Davenport, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of tampering with a witness.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on February 7, 2021, officers from the Davenport Police Department were dispatched to an apartment complex at 3348 Heatherton Drive, in Davenport, related to shots fired. At the scene, officers located a shell casing, a spent slug, and two bullet fragments. Richardson was identified as the shooter, and officers subsequently located Richardson attempting to scale off a second-story balcony. Officers then located a loaded pistol inside of the apartment that Richardson had fled from. Ballistics testing confirmed that the firearm recovered was used to shoot the shell casing, spent slug, and one of the bullet fragments located. After being arrested, Richardson repeatedly called the victim, in violation of a no contact order, and in an attempt to tamper with the witness.
This is Richardson’s third conviction related to a shooting. In November 2008, Richardson was convicted of Willful Injury Resulting in Bodily Injury and Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, in the Iowa District Court for Scott County. In July 2016, Richardson was convicted of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent, Possession of a Firearm or Offensive Weapon by a Felon, Willful Injury Resulting in Bodily Injury, and Going Armed with Intent, in the Iowa District Court for Scott County.
The federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed 10 years. The convictions for tampering with a witness are each punishable by terms of imprisonment not to exceed 20 years. Richardson is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on January 24, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department. 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. In May 2021, the Department of Justice 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.