Rockingham Man Sentenced for Possession of Ammunition after Discharging Gun Multiple Times near Residential Building

GREENSBORO, N.C. - A Reidsville, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Greensboro to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to a possession of ammunition as a previously convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).

LINDSEY L. HAYES, age 41, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment plus 3 years post release supervision by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief/Senior United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC.

According to court records, on January 7, 2025, at approximately 8:22 p.m., officers with the Reidsville Police Department responded to an apartment complex located on Marcellus Street in Reidsville after receiving a 911 call regarding a shooting. When officers arrived, they spoke with various tenants who stated they heard arguing followed by gunshots. One tenant said prior to the shooting he/she heard a man banging on the door of a neighboring apartment and heard a man say something to the effect of "watch this." Another said he/she heard a man say, "Open this door before I shoot this shit up."

Officers obtained video surveillance which showed HAYES getting out of a white SUV and walking up the steps to the front door of the apartment where the mother of his child resided and knocking on the door multiple times. In the video, HAYES appeared to be yelling through the door. When no one answers, HAYES walks back down the stairs and returns to the white SUV before heading back to the same apartment, this time while carrying a handgun. HAYES uses the handle of the gun to knock on the door again. After standing at the door for a short time, he walks back down the stairs and gets into the driver seat of the white SUV. Before he exits the parking lot of the apartment complex, HAYES slows down while driving past the apartment. His left arm extends out of the front driver side window and muzzle flash and smoke are seen as multiple shots were fired.

While canvasing the area, officers observed two bullet holes in the siding of the apartment building and two spent shell casings in the parking lot near where his vehicle was at the time of the shooting. No firearm was recovered.

During the sentencing hearing, evidence was presented that at the time of the shooting the apartment was occupied by at least two people.

Prior to his arrest, HAYES was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on four separate occasions. Additionally, HAYES was on post release supervision for convictions for Felony Discharge of a Weapon into Occupied Property and Felony Assault with Physical Injury of a Detention Employee. HAYES had been released to supervision about two months before committing the shooting.

HAYES pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025, to being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

The case was investigated by the Reidsville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by MDNC Assistant United States Attorney Tracy M. Williams-Durham.