Department of Justice

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Elijah Jackson, 34 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Jackson was sentenced to 64 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in June 2022, Jackson forced his way into a home, struggled with a resident, and then fired a gunshot after leaving the home. Police officers located him walking in the area of the incident, at which point he fled from officers and dropped a backpack. After a foot pursuit, officers recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband and another loaded handgun from his pocket. His backpack contained a loaded extended magazine for a firearm as well as marijuana and pills.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.

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.

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