Roanoke Man to Serve 165 Months for Role in Drug Robbery, Shooting

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man, who robbed his one-time roommate for drugs and drug proceeds and later shot and killed someone who attempted to rob him, was sentenced yesterday to 165 months in federal prison. 

Damon Tyler Mills, 29, pled guilty in April 2025 to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of brandishing and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“Those who use firearms to advance the drug trade and commit acts of violence in the Western District of Virginia will face swift and certain accountability in federal court,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci.

“ATF is not only committed to protecting the public from violent criminals like Damon Mills, but also holding others like him fully accountable for their violent criminal acts,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood. “We are ready- and fully capable- of pursuing anyone who believes that illegally possessing firearms, committing robberies, and taking lives is acceptable behavior in our communities.”

According to court documents, on February 24, 2019, law enforcement responded to an apartment in Roanoke County, Virginia regarding a disturbance involving firearms. Officers arrived on the scene and located victim FC deceased with gunshot wounds to their head and chest. Officers investigated and determined Mills was the shooter.

However, these events began years earlier. Mills was a known drug dealer in Roanoke, distributing marijuana from various locations from at least 2016 through 2019. For several months in early 2018, A.W. and Mills were friends. The two lived together and distributed marijuana together.

In November 2018, A.W. was living in his father’s home after a falling out with Mills. It was nighttime and A.W. was playing video games and waiting for his pregnant girlfriend, D.T. to arrive home from work. Mills and an unidentified accomplice entered the home wearing ski masks and brandishing AR-style firearms and pistols. They beat and bound A.W. and demanded he tell them where his drugs and drug proceeds were. A.W. refused. Mills and his accomplice eventually found $1,300 and an AK-47.

When D.T. arrived home, they threw her on the bed and demanded to know where the drugs and money were located. When she couldn’t provide a sufficient answer, Mills and the second robber took her phone and $100.

Four months later, on February 24, 2019, Mills was hanging out with his friend at his girlfriend’s apartment. Mills had been living there for several months and sold marijuana out of the apartment. Taylor Miles, a marijuana customer of Mills, knocked on the door. Miles came to the door because her boyfriend, F.C. had planned to rob Mills.

F.C. had no personal relationship with the defendant but knew he was likely to have cash and drugs and arranged his girlfriend to set-up the meeting.

Miles knocked on the door, Mills approached the door, armed with a firearm, he opened the door and spoke to Miles. Suddenly, F.C. appeared, racked his pistol, and pointed it at Mills. Mills drew his pistol and fired one shot that struck F.C. in the chest.

F.C. fell to the ground.

Mills stood above him and while F.C. was still moving, Mills shot F.C. in the head, killing him.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roanoke County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Beamer, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case for the United States.