Davenport Man Sentenced to Prison for Felon in Possession of Stolen Firearms Charge

DAVENPORT, IA – On September 15, 2016, Xavier Elfonsto Buckner, 27, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 96 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Buckner was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims’ Fund.

Buckner was found guilty of felon in possession of a firearm after a three day jury trial ending on May 11, 2016.

At trial, evidence was presented that on August 3, 2015, there was a shooting in the 700 block of West 14th Street, Davenport, Iowa. Witnesses identified Buckner as the shooter. Officers collected spent casings from the scene and a warrant was issued for Buckner’s arrest. On August 11, 2015, officers in the area of 700 West 14th Street saw Buckner in the passenger seat of a vehicle and attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle fled from officers, exceeding the speed limit by 25 miles per hour in residential neighborhoods and disobeying many traffic devices. The chase ended when multiple police cars blocked in the vehicle. A stolen, loaded .380 caliber handgun was found on the back passenger floorboard and identified as belonging to Buckner.

A DCI criminalist compared the four casings collected from the scene on August 3, 2015, to the weapon found in the vehicle on August 11, 2015, and concluded that the casings were fired from that weapon.

Buckner has prior felony convictions for reckless use of a firearm in 2006 and third degree burglary in 2008.

This matter was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative.