Wilmington Man with Prior Manslaughter Conviction Sentenced for Gun Offense

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On March 7, 2023, Tyrek Desmond Anderson, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court. After witnessing a vehicle commit a traffic violation on February 16, 2022, officers initiated their emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle, driven by Tyrek Anderson fled from law enforcement at a high rate of speed and almost caused multiple traffic collisions. Due to public safety concerns, the chase was terminated.

A short time later, officers located the vehicle, unoccupied, on the side of the road in the area of Metts Avenue and South 22^nd Street. Officers then saw Anderson walking down Metts Avenue towards Forest Hills Drive. Upon seeing law enforcement, Anderson fled on foot and ran through multiple backyards on Forest Hills Drive before being apprehended. During the chase, officers saw Anderson holding what appeared to be a handgun, however, they did not locate a handgun on his person in a search incident to arrest. Officers retraced Anderson’s path of flight and located a stolen Glock 19 in the bushes of a residence on Forest Hills Drive. Subsequent testing revealed the presence of Anderson’s DNA on the firearm. In a subsequent search of the vehicle Anderson drove, officers located six softball size bags containing marijuana totaling approximately 237 grams.

Anderson was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in connection with a 2015 murder and was on post-release supervision for that conviction at the time of this offense. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department, the Wilmington Police Department Gun Crimes Task Force, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.  Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-cr-00102BO-001.