Darris Lamar Mull was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal court for illegally possessing firearms on four separate occasions, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mull, 39, was involved in a shooting in a Springfield neighborhood on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 over allegations that he had stolen drugs, according to the release.
Police officers recovered 40 spent shell casings from the scene of the shooting, in front of at least eight separate Springfield residences, according to the release.
On Dec. 19, 2022, Mull pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, according to the release. Mull was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Mull has two prior felony convictions for forgery and a prior felony conviction for non-support, according to the release.
In 2022, illegal possession and use of firearms increased in Springfield, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. Springfield police officers seized 229 illegal guns last year, a 50 percent increase compared with 2021, according to the release.
Co-defendants Cartevion Marquis Chapman, 35, and Nicholas David Caligone, 45, both of Springfield, were involved in the shooting, according to the release.
On April 4, Chapman was sentenced to nine years and seven months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. Caligone pleaded guilty on July 5, 2022, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 16.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Springfield Police Department.
