New Haven Man Guilty Of Federal Firearm Offense

Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in New Haven has found TYRON HAMMOND, 31, of New Haven, guilty of possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon.  The trial before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall began on August 26 and the jury returned the verdict yesterday afternoon.

According to the trial evidence, on December 11, 2012, the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force, executing a state arrest warrant, arrested HAMMOND at an apartment on Chambers Street in New Haven.  A subsequent court-authorized search of the apartment revealed a fully-loaded .22 caliber revolver with one expended casing.

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Forensic Science Laboratory determined that HAMMOND’s DNA was on both the firearm and the ammunition.

Although the revolver was manufactured in Connecticut and could not be traced due to its age, the ammunition in the firearm was manufactured in Idaho.

It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

HAMMOND’s criminal history includes a 2004 federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.  That conviction stemmed from an incident in November 2003 when HAMMOND shot and injured an individual with a .44 caliber revolver in the Farnam Court housing complex in New Haven.  HAMMOND was also convicted in state court of first degree assault in relation to the shooting.

In December 2004, HAMMOND was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 10 years of imprisonment.  He was released from federal prison in July 2012.

Judge Hall has scheduled sentencing for November 21, 2013, at which time HAMMOND faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  HAMMOND also faces up to two years of imprisonment for violating the terms and conditions of his supervised release from his prior federal conviction.

This matter was investigated Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force and the New Haven Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony E. Kaplan, with the assistance of law student intern Allison Gorsuch.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov