Department of Justice

NEW ORLEANS — United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier sentenced Shamar Holmes, age 23, a resident of New Orleans, to 57-months imprisonment for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court records, Holmes admitted that in September 2022 he was traveling down Interstate 10 near the Claiborne Avenue exit when another car opened fire on his car. Holmes was shot several times and taken to the hospital. When New Orleans Police Officers arrived to investigate, they seized the car as part of the shooting investigation. They conducted a search of the car and found a .40 caliber handgun under the seat. In January 2022, Holmes had pleaded guilty to a felony, in Orleans Parish and was thus prohibited from possessing guns at the time of the September shooting.

Judge Barbier sentenced Holmes to 57-months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Holmes was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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 of Justice 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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.

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