A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot another person during an argument.
Dana Ray Day, Jr., 32, of Jefferson City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The sentence is the statutory maximum penalty for this offense. The court also ordered the federal sentence be served consecutively to the 25-year sentence imposed in an unrelated state case in which Day was convicted of two counts of assault in a fatal shooting.
Day was found guilty at trial on Dec. 15, 2021, of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On Sept. 15, 2018, Day got into an argument with another man after hitting his car the prior day. Day pulled out a Taurus .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and shot the other man, who was not armed, twice – in the chest and the groin. The shooting victim ran to a nearby apartment and the resident called 911 for him. Day fled from the scene of the shooting.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Day has prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, domestic assault, assault, and resisting arrest. According to court documents, Day has a history of violence against others that began at the age of 13, including a teacher’s aide, family members, and girlfriends. In the state case in which Day has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison, he was convicted of repeatedly striking a man with his fists and then shooting and killing him.
While this case has been pending and Day has been detained, he has been charged with property damage after repeatedly kicking his jail cell door. Day is also charged with accessory to commit robbery after he and others beat another inmate and stole his canteen items.
The Taurus handgun, which had been purchased by another person and given to Day, was later recovered during a homicide investigation by the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department. The shell casing was entered into the NIBIN database and matched the shell casing recovered from the scene of the Sept. 15, 2018, shooting in Jefferson City.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
