A Richmond man was sentenced today to seven years and eight months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Lamar Javon Williams, 31, was previously convicted of malicious wounding in Richmond Circuit Court in 2012, after shooting a man in the chest with a shotgun in 2010. In 2014, while on a suspended sentence for the malicious wounding conviction, Williams was convicted of possessing a firearm as a violent felon.
As a previously convicted felon, Williams could not legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
According to court documents, on Sept. 23, 2021, Richmond Police officers recognized Williams who was in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a black bag across his chest. Williams got out of the car without the bag and entered the store.
As Williams was returning to the car, an officer approached Williams and briefly spoke with him before Williams walked away from the scene. The officers then spoke to the driver, who had a handgun in his pants pocket.
Officers recovered Williams’ bag from the passenger side floorboard. Inside the bag were a loaded handgun, a debit card with Williams’ name, and a bag with 3.8 grams of heroin and fentanyl.
After obtaining a warrant for his arrest, officers located Williams at a gas station six months later, on March 25, 2022, and approached his car to arrest him.
According to police, Williams sped off, almost hitting the police car. Williams was arrested after a brief chase and was found in possession of a bag of fentanyl and ten Xanax pills.