Tarboro Man Sentenced for Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon

WILMINGTON, NC—United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court today, Senior United States District Judge James C. Fox sentenced ERIC RICARDO DAVIS, 21, Tarboro, North Carolina, to 106 months’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release.

A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment on July 16, 2010. On January 31, 2011, DAVIS pled guilty to unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924.

According to the investigation, officers responded to a shooting near the high school on February 11, 2010, and found the victim had been robbed and shot in the leg twice. DAVIS was spotted fleeing the area shortly after the shooting. Officers learned that DAVIS and another person forced the victim to walk with them at gunpoint while they went through his pockets. The victim fled and DAVIS and his companion began shooting at the victim. When DAVIS was arrested, the victim’s cell phone was found on DAVIS, along with one round of ammunition. After his arrest, DAVIS waived his right to silence and admitted that he shot the victim because he believed that the victim was the person who shot him several days earlier.

DAVIS was previously convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction, common law robbery, and a previous conviction of possession of a firearm by a felon.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rocky Mount Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry was the assigned prosecutor. Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Clark Everett has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters. This has been made possible by a grant funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission.