Skip to main content
Press Release

19-Year-Old Sioux City Man Sentenced to More Than 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
Hills, a felon, continued to illegally possess a gun after repeated shooting incidents.

Jordan Hills, age 19, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced August 11, 2023, after pleading guilty March 15, 2023, to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence in the case reveled in the summer of 2021, Hills and two others, harassed a woman in front of a bar, and when the woman’s friend came out of the bar to help her, he was shot to death by one of the three men (not Hills).  Hills was convicted for harassment resulting from the incident on December 7, 2021, and sentenced to one day in jail.  Despite a significant criminal history, Hills was shown leniency, and sentenced to a deferred judgment, Hills continued to illegally possess firearms. His unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon was discovered on April 15, 2022, when he began drinking heavily while armed with the firearm and passed out with the firearm on his person. When a woman attempted to make the weapon safe, Hills’ twin-brother, Jalond Hills, wrestled with the woman, resulting in the woman being shot with the firearm. When law enforcement responded, Jordan Hills lied to police and said an unknown black man had entered the apartment and shot the woman. On April 26, 2022, Hills still had the weapon, and on another occasion, actually fired the weapon at the woman who was shot in an apparent attempt to scare her into silence.

Despite being just 19 years old Hills has a lengthy criminal history, including failure to obey law-enforcement, interference with official acts, failure to appear, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and the 2021 harassment charge for his role in the July 4, 2021 killing.

Hills was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Hills is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl

The case file number is 22-4062.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Updated August 29, 2023

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Firearms Offenses