Miami Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

MIAMI — On Jan. 25, a Miami man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition as an armed career criminal. The sentence comes after a jury convicted him in October 2023.

As shown at trial and sentencing, this case involved an eight-day span where Demetris Kewan Mackie, 29, of Miami, possessed and used the same gun to shoot at two victims, injuring one.

On April 12, 2023, Mackie pistol-whipped and shot a male victim outside a laundromat in Miami. Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) officers responded to the scene. When MDPD officers arrived, they found a blood trail on the ground that led them to where the victim had collapsed. The next morning, the victim advised MDPD officers that a male with a silver-topped gun and a teardrop-shaped tattoo next to his right eye had pistol-whipped him before shooting at him the day before. Surveillance footage verified the victim’s story.

Three days later, North Miami Beach Police Department (NMBPD) officers responded to another shooting. This time the victim was unharmed and was able to identify Mackie as the attacker.

On April 20, 2023, MDPD officers arrested Mackie. At the time of the arrest, Mackie was carrying a silver-topped gun whose test-fired casings matched the casings from both shootings.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II.

ATF investigated the case with assistance from MDPD and NMBPD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary A. Keller and Vanessa Bonhomme prosecuted the case.

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Source: U.S. ATF, atf.gov