Earlier this week, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that Gerald Dyron Little, 41, from Montgomery, Alabama, was found guilty of illegally possessing ammunition he used during a shooting at a funeral.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on June 26, 2021, Little attended a memorial service for one of his relatives at the municipal complex in Fort Deposit, Alabama.

During the gathering, Little caused a disruption and family members asked him to leave. Little complied and left the facility. After the memorial service, family members and attendees gathered in a nearby cemetery for a graveside service.

Witnesses testified that Little was in the front passenger seat of a white SUV parked at the cemetery near the burial site. The windows of the SUV were down and loud music was coming from the vehicle, disturbing the service. Family members went to the vehicle and asked Little and the driver of the SUV to leave, as they were being disruptive.

The two failed to do so. Instead, Little began arguing with the family members. The driver then grabbed a handgun. Little took the handgun from the driver and then fired the weapon from the open window of the SUV. Officers from the Fort Deposit Police Department were nearby and rushed to the scene after hearing the shots. However, Little fled before they arrived.

Four funeral attendees, including the brother of the deceased, were struck by bullets during the shooting.

Investigators interviewed witnesses and soon identified Little as the shooter. Law enforcement also recovered four discharged shell casings from the scene. The State of Alabama issued an arrest warrant for Little and he was arrested in Montgomery by the United States Marshals Service during the early morning hours of July 1, 2021. That same day, federal agents obtained a complaint and arrest warrant charging Little with being a felon in possession of ammunition.

In reaching its verdict on March 8, 2023, the jury found that the shell casings recovered from the scene came from ammunition possessed by Little during the shooting. Little had a previous felony conviction and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Following this conviction, Little faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison with no parole. State charges related to the shooting are pending.

The Fort Deposit Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, with assistance from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen K. Moulton and Brandon W. Bates are prosecuting the case.