Suspect In Shooting Of Highway Patrol Officer Pleads Guilty To Federal Charge

GREENSBORO, N.C. – United States Attorney Ripley Rand announced today that Mikel Edward Brady, age 23, of Durham, North Carolina, received a prison term for possession of a firearm by a felon.

On February 21, 2014, Chief United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. sentenced Brady to 480 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

On February 18, 2013, a vehicle operated by Brady was stopped on Highway 70 in Durham, NC by North Carolina State Highway Patrolman Michael Potts. Brady shot Trooper Potts twice before fleeing. Brady was apprehended the following day. Potts sustained multiple injuries and recently returned to duty. Brady is currently serving a state court sentence of more than twenty-four years for shooting Trooper Potts with the firearm Brady possessed illegally.

“We will continue to work together closely and effectively with state and local law enforcement to fight violent crime,” said United States Attorney Rand. “We are dedicated to making sure that those who possess guns illegally and commit crimes with those guns receive just punishment.”

The case was investigated by the Durham Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Pousson.