Jackson Man Sentenced to 8 Years for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

JACKSON, MS - A Jackson man was sentenced on Friday, August 21, 2026, to 96 months of incarceration for being a felon in possession of a firearm in Hinds County.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Derrick Demond Epps, 44, was found by Jackson Police Department to be in possession of a firearm on September 14, 2025, during an altercation in front of a local convenient store in South Jackson. Epps had previous felony convictions including aggravated assault.

Epps was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 13, 2026, and pleaded guilty on April 17, 2026.

U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Jackson Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham prosecuted the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).