CAPE GIRARDEAU – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Jeremiah R. Twiggs, age 40, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was sentenced Friday to 7 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to the offense of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Twiggs appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched to a bar known as “Hot Shots” in Cape Girardeau last March in response to a report of multiple shots being fired inside the establishment. Upon arrival, officers discovered a male subject identified as Larry McIntyre lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. McIntyre was rushed to the emergency room for treatment of serious injuries. Officers processed the scene and discovered a .40 caliber pistol on the floor, along with a total of sixteen spent shell casings.
Officers subsequently reviewed video surveillance footage, which depicted McIntyre getting into an altercation with two male subjects around a pool table. Moments before shots were fired, the footage depicted McIntyre reach into another subject’s sweatshirt to retrieve a firearm. McIntyre then discharged the firearm as he was simultaneously shot by the other two assailants multiple times.
Through their investigation, the Cape Girardeau Police Department identified Twiggs as the person from whom McIntyre obtained the firearm. During an interview with detectives, Twiggs confirmed that he accompanied McIntyre to the bar on the night in question. Twiggs told detectives that the .40 caliber pistol belonged to McIntyre. According to Twiggs, he concealed the pistol inside his sweatshirt at McIntyre’s request before entering the bar. Twiggs further stated that, during the altercation around the pool table, McIntyre took the pistol from him right before he was shot. Twiggs is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law due to numerous felony convictions.
After serving his prison sentence, Twiggs will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years. The Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.