Two Jackson Men Plead Guilty In Molotov Cocktail Case

Jackson, Miss. -- Joshua Martin, 22, and Lemarkcus Kelly, 22 of Jackson, pled guilty in U.S. District Court today to possession of illegal explosives, specifically Molotov cocktails, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and ATF Special Agent in Charge Phillip Durham.

Martin and Kelly were apprehended on January 23, 2013 by officers from the Jackson Police Department just moments after a shooting occurred in South Jackson. Martin and Kelly were two of the four passengers in the vehicle witnesses reported were outside a South Jackson home into which shots had been fired. When the JPD officers stopped the vehicle, Martin, Kelly, and the two other occupants of the vehicle had in their possession several firearms and glass bottles, which contained gasoline and which were stuffed with shredded clothing material to be used as wicks.

ATF Special Agent in Charge Phillip Durham said: “This joint investigation between ATF, the Jackson Police Department and the Jackson Fire Department illustrates the impact on reducing violent crime when agencies combine and coordinate their skills and resources. This investigation is an example of excellent investigative work, a job well done by the investigators.”

Both defendants will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves on January 17, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. They each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Jackson Police Department with the assistance of the Jackson Fire Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Helen Wall and Scott Gilbert.

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