MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WRBL) — On Wednesday, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that 41-year-old Gerald Dyron Little, from Montgomery, Alabama, was found guilty of illegally possessing ammunition used during a shooting at a funeral.
According to court documents and evidence presented at Little's trial, on June 26, 2021, Little attended a funeral service for a relative at the municipal complex in Fort Deposit, Alabama.
During the gathering, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama says Little caused disruption, resulting in family members asking Little to leave.
Little left the facility but later returned after the memorial services. Witnesses testified that Little was located in the front passenger seat of a white SUV parked near the burial site at the cemetery.
The vehicle that Little sat in emanated loud music while the windows were rolled down, causing more disruption to the funeral. Family members insisted that Little and the driver of the vehicle leave. Instead of leaving the funeral, Little argued with family members, and the driver grabbed a handgun.
Little took the handgun from the driver and proceeded to fire the weapon while still sitting inside the vehicle.
The Attorney's Office says Fort Deposit Police Department Officers, who were in the nearby area, rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots, but Little fled the scene before authorities arrived.
Four funeral attendees, including the deceased's brother, were struck by bullets during the shooting.
Investigators later interviewed witnesses and identified Little as the shooter. Authorities also recovered four shell casings from the scene.
The State of Alabama issued an arrest warrant for Little, and the United States Marshals arrested him on July 1, 2021.
On the same day, July 1, 2021, federal agents also obtained a complaint and arrest warrant charging Little with being a felon in possession of ammunition.
During deliberations over a verdict on March 8, a jury determined that the shell casings recovered from the scene came from ammunition possessed by Little during the shooting.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Little had a previous felony conviction and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Little faces up to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole, and the U.S. Attorney's Office says state charges for Little are pending.
The Fort Deposit Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the United States Marshals Service, investigated Little's case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen K. Moulton and Brandon W. Bates are prosecuting Little's case.
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