Foley Felon Sentenced to Over Seven Years for Possessing a Firearm in Connection with a Shooting

MOBILE, AL – A Foley man was sentenced today to 85 months in prison for possessing a firearm in connection with a shooting.  The man had previously been convicted of a felony offense of violence.

According to court documents, Ladarious Roper, 22, possessed a CZ Scorpion semi-automatic weapon in connection with a shooting on October 11, 2024.  On that date, 911 callers reported that five shots were fired, and a victim had been shot in the lower leg.  The victim reported that he was walking down the road and was shot by someone wearing a red ski mask in a sedan.  Foley officers entered the area and located an empty gold/beige Toyota Camry in a ditch in front of a residence in Foley. Witnesses said that four black males exited the Camry and ran to the southeast.  Witnesses reported that one of the males had a red ski mask and an AR style pistol.  The vehicle was registered to Ladarious Roper’s grandfather and was known to be driven by Roper.  During the initial response to the scene, an AR style pistol and a red ski mask were recovered in the bushes on the north side of the property.  A cell phone was recovered from the Camry.

Roper was interviewed and said the red ski mask would have his DNA on it.  The phone recovered from the Camry was identified as belonging to Roper and was extracted and examined.  There were also numerous videos of Roper holding a firearm that was identified as a CZ Scorpion Evo 3 S2 Micro, which is a 9mm firearm, about 16” in length, and can accept large capacity magazines.  The videos found on Roper’s phone were compared to the weapon recovered near the shooting scene.  There were specific characteristics about the weapon that enabled Foley police to match the weapon depicted in the videos on the phone to the firearm.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Beaverstock imposed the 85-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Roper was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.  Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered that the firearm be forfeited.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

Foley Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).