Chilton County Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing a Firearm Used in a Shooting

           Montgomery, Alabama – On March 27, 2024, a federal jury convicted 57-year-old Alvin Lee McCary, a resident of Chilton County, Alabama, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross.

           According to court records and evidence presented during McCary’s trial, on July 22, 2020, law enforcement responded to a Clanton residence following reports of a shooting. Deputies arrived at the scene and found that the shooting victim had multiple gunshot wounds, including one on his face. According to the victim and witnesses, following an argument, McCary had shot the victim and then fled. Deputies found shotgun shell casings at the scene. Law enforcement officers found McCary at his Chilton County residence but did not immediately locate a shotgun. A few days later, investigators discovered a shotgun and ammunition at the bottom of a well. The well was located in a wooded area behind the McCary’s residence. McCary has previous felony convictions and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

           Following this conviction, McCary faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison with no parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. At that hearing, a federal district court judge will determine McCary’s sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. If the judge determines that the Armed Career Criminal Act of 1984 qualifies in McCary’s case, McCary will face a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

           This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

           The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and Ashley J. Avera prosecuted.