Convicted Felon Sentenced To 15 Years For Attempting to Shoot Police

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

PHILADELPHIA—Shamarr Pitts, 26, of Lansdowne, PA, was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for assault on a federal agent, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky ordered a $1,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment.

On June 4, 2013, the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force arrived at 43 Schappet Terrace in Lansdowne, PA, to arrest Pitts on charges related to a shooting at the Purple Orchid nightclub in Southwest Philadelphia that had occurred weeks earlier. Uniformed Lansdowne Police had the residence surrounded when the Task Force arrived. Task Force agents and officers initially knocked on the front door of the house and announced their presence. When no one answered, agents and officers breached the back door, and entered the house. A Philadelphia Police detective discovered Pitts hiding behind a closed bedroom door. When the detective pushed the door open, Pitts pointed a silver pistol directly at the detective’s head, pulled the trigger twice generating a clicking sound, but his gun did not discharge. Pitts also attempted to clear and shoot the weapon again, by pulling the slide back, thus generating more noise.

After being ordered to surrender for several minutes, Pitts eventually complied. On February 3, 2015, a federal jury found Pitts guilty of all three counts of the indictment.

The case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, the Darby Borough Police Department, the Lansdowne Police Department, and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Zaleski.