KC Reporter

A man from Hammond, Indiana, has been sentenced in federal court for illegal possession of firearms. Roosevelt Nevels, Jr., aged 35 and formerly residing in Kansas City, Missouri, received an eight-year sentence without parole from U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips.

Nevels pleaded guilty on November 7, 2024, to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. The incident traces back to November 7, 2021, when officers from the Kansas City Police Department were called to Research Medical Center after a reported shooting. Nevels claimed he was caught between two vehicles exchanging gunfire at 7033 Prospect Ave., resulting in a hand injury. However, police found no evidence or witnesses to support his account.

Further investigation led officers to Nevels' residence in Kansas City. They discovered a blood trail leading into the house and observed more blood inside. A juvenile answered the door when officers knocked. Inside the home, they found an AR-style pistol and significant blood in a bedroom.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence and recovered three loaded firearms: a SCCY CPX-1, 9mm pistol; a SCCY CPX-2, 9mm pistol; and an FM-9 AR-style pistol with damage near the trigger guard. DNA analysis implicated Nevels as a major contributor from samples taken from the grips and trigger guards of all three firearms.

Federal law prohibits individuals convicted of felonies from possessing firearms or ammunition. Nevels had prior felony convictions for endangering the welfare of a child and resisting arrest in 2018, as well as unlawful use of weapons charges.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings and investigated by the Kansas City Police Department alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.