INDIANAPOLIS – Shaylor Goer, 46, of Indianapolis, was indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on March 1, 2022, Goer illegally possessed a.45 caliber semiautomatic handgun. Goer has nine prior felony convictions from state courts in Indiana and Illinois, beginning in 1995, including for aggravated criminal sexual abuse, domestic battery, failure to resister as a sex offender, burglary, and drug offenses. Goer is federally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of each of these convictions.
Goer made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Paul R. Cherry of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and was ordered detained pending trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, made the announcement.
The ATF investigated the case in conjunction with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate who is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call. A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.
Additionally, 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.