KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who was involved in a shoot-out at a local gas station was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Tirrell M. Thompson, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to nine years in federal prison without parole.
On May 23, 2022, Thompson pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Thompson admitted that he was involved in a shoot-out at a gas station near 45th and The Paseo on May 6, 2020. A federal marshal witnessed the shooting, in which Thompson pulled a Taurus .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun from his waistband, ducked behind his car, and shot back at another individual who was shooting at him. The marshal also saw Thompson flee from the gas station in a silver vehicle.
A police helicopter identified the fleeing car, which slowed down as Thompson tossed the handgun out of the car near 58th Terrace and Swope Parkway. Police officers arrested Thompson and found the handgun, which had blood on it, in the area where Thompson had tossed it.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Thompson has two prior felony convictions for resisting arrest and a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.