Kansas City Felon Sentenced to 11 Years for Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo. man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Devon D. Martin, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to eleven years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 14, 2024, Martin pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Martin admitted he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson, SD9 VE, 9mm pistol on June 19, 2024.

On June 19, 2024, detectives with the Independence, Mo. Police Department Street Crimes Unit and SWAT team were conducting surveillance to locate Martin, who had a felony warrant and a parole violation warrant. Officers located Martin and attempted to apprehend him. Martin fled from the officers on foot and the officers engaged in a pursuit. During the foot pursuit, Martin dropped the pistol, which investigators later determined was stolen. The pistol was loaded with twelve live rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one live round in the chamber. Martin also possessed approximately seven grams of methamphetamine and two grams of fentanyl powder.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Martin has three prior felony convictions for resisting an arrest by fleeing, two felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for stealing, and prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and distribution of an opiate, opium, narcotic, or certain stimulant, and unlawful tampering with electronic monitoring equipment.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.