Muskegon Man Involved in Shooting Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison (DOJ)

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Timothy VerHey, today announced that United States District Judge Jane M. Beckering sentenced Malik Jones-Smith (30, Muskegon, Michigan) to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for his supervised release violation associated with the new conviction. A jury previously found Jones-Smith guilty of the offense on November 13, 2025, following a three-day trial.

In the early morning of December 28, 2024, following a shooting in Muskegon Heights, Jones-Smith and another individual drove away from a Muskegon police officer in a van and then fled on foot. Near the van, police found a stolen pistol loaded with a round partially fed in the chamber and one additional round in the magazine. A search of Jones-Smith's cell phone showed that he uploaded a video on Snapchat less than 10 hours before with the same firearm:

The search of his phone also showed that Jones-Smith and his passenger in the van were involved in the Muskegon Heights shooting. At the time of the offense, Jones-Smith was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction of distributing fentanyl. Jones-Smith was released from federal custody only 16 days before he possessed the firearm.

Other evidence found from a search of his Snapchat account and phone show videos of Jones-Smith possessing other firearms before this shooting, including on October 30, 2024, while still in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at a halfway house, and on December 14, 2024, three days after he began federal supervised release.

United States Attorney Timothy VerHey said, "Jones-Smith got into a shootout a little more than two weeks after being released from prison for his last felony, and after promising to be a law-abiding citizen if he got released into the community. He deserved to get the maximum possible sentence for this conduct, and that is exactly what he got. My office will not tolerate gun violence, especially by convicted felons."

"Working daily to put an end to gun violence in the Muskegon area is the top priority of our agency. This sentencing demonstrates our collective commitment to using all available resources to remove dangerous offenders from the streets and improve public safety in our community." said Muskegon Police Chief Tim Kozal.

"Violent offenders who choose to carry and use firearms do not just destroy communities, they destroy their own futures by putting themselves on a path that leads straight to prison," said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "Malik Jones-Smith can no longer threaten our neighborhoods thanks to the strong collaboration of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. Together, FBI Detroit will continue to do our part to crush violent crime by stopping offenders who attempt to terrorize our communities."

The Muskegon Police Department - Muskegon Major Case Initiative, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vito S. Solitro and Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.