Department of Justice

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man who was part of a local rap group and leader of a gang known as “FTO,” was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms, some of which have been linked to multiple shootings.

Jardell Carlin Williams, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to six years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On May 16, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.

Williams admitted he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol when a gold Nissan Altima, driven by co-defendant Ezekiel Josiah King, 20, of Springfield, was stopped by Springfield Police Department detectives on Feb. 15, 2022. King, also a rapper and leader of the FTO gang, was in possession of a loaded Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, with an extended magazine that contained 29 rounds. King also was in possession of an Anderson AM-15 multi-caliber rifle, loaded with 31 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition, which was in the back seat of the vehicle with a juvenile passenger.

Detectives also located two more boxes of ammunition under Williams’ seat. Under King’s seat, officers located a second extended magazine and two factory Glock magazines. In total, officers recovered well over 100 rounds of ammunition from the vehicle, in addition to the three firearms and multiple magazines.

Detectives found marijuana on Williams and in a backpack belonging to Williams. Both Williams and King admitted they regularly smoked marijuana.

Williams also admitted that he was in possession of a C3 Defense 5.56-caliber semi-automatic pistol when a vehicle, in which he was a passenger, was stopped by detectives with the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 23, 2022, after a rap concert where King had been performing. King was in the front passenger seat. Williams and four other individuals were in the backseat. When officers searched the vehicle, they found marijuana and multiple firearms.

According to court documents, Williams was also stopped by Nixa, Missouri, police officers on Oct. 16, 2021. There were three passengers in the vehicle, including one juvenile. The juvenile was armed with a stolen, loaded Highpoint firearm. A loaded SCCY pistol was found near another passenger. A loaded, stolen Anderson AM-15 rifle was located on top of the center counsel covered with a blanket. Also located in the vehicle was marijuana wax, and three pipes with marijuana residue. During that stop, officers observed 15 to 20 bullet holes in Williams’ vehicle, and he confirmed he had been involved in a shooting but refused to provide additional details. Williams was charged in the Circuit Court of Christian County, Missouri, with possession of a stolen firearm.

ATF National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN)

Agents with the ATF test fired the firearms seized from the traffic stop on Feb. 15, 2022. The shell casings from those test fires were submitted to the ATF National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) laboratory to determine if there were any links between the recovered firearms and firearms related violent crime.

The NIBIN analysis indicated that the .40-caliber Glock pistol possessed by Williams on Feb. 15, 2022, had been used in a drive-by shooting of a Springfield residence that occurred on Jan. 30, 2022. At the time of the shooting, five people were present in the residence. Officers found multiple bullet holes in the home; some of the bullets entered the home into a bedroom, the living room, and into the bathroom. Multiple shell casings were located in the street. Investigators also found that one projectile struck a vehicle parked on the street. Investigators believe the Jan. 30, 2022, shooting was gang-related, because the targeted residence was associated with a rival gang.

In their investigation, officers also found a second home had been hit with gunfire. Police were able to determine that a bullet travelled through the home into a bedroom and then into the wall of the closet bedroom. Fortunately, that house was vacant.

NIBIN analysis of the Anderson AM-15 rifle seized from King on Feb. 15, 2022, indicated that it was also used in the Jan. 30, 2022, shooting.

The NIBIN analysis indicated the C3 Defense firearm seized from Williams on Oct. 23, 2022, had been used in three shootings in Kansas City, Missouri, that occurred on Aug. 6, 2022, Sept. 28, 2022, and Sept. 29, 2022. Williams was living in Blue Springs, Missouri (in the Kansas City area) when those shootings occurred.

According to court documents, Williams is also a suspect or a person of interest in a shootout between rival gangs that occurred in a busy commercial area of downtown Springfield on May 14, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to a third, as well as a robbery in which the victim was struck by an unknown object and dragged by a vehicle, and multiple drive-by shootings.

King pleaded guilty on Jan. 16, 2024, to one count of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms and awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Greene County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department and the Springfield Police Department.