Johnny Kelly guilty of gun charge

A Shreveport man whose criminal past prevents him from legally possessing a firearm was convicted of such possession Friday, August 21, 2026, in Caddo District Court.

Johnny Kelly, 29, convicted of the felony illegal use of weapons in 2021, was judged guilty by the nine-woman, three-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court after deliberations that lasted only 30 minutes. When Kelly returns to court October 7, 2026, he faces a sentence of at least five and up to 20 years in prison at hard labor.

On November 20, 2024, a Shreveport police officer patrolling near the Sunset Acres Park after it closed at 10 p.m. saw two vehicles in the parking lot. As he approached the vehicles, a male passenger in one of the vehicles stepped out of the vehicle and it could be observed there was a gun on the floor by his feet. Questioned about it, the man, Kelly, admitted it belonged to another person but that he was in possession of it.

Kelly was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Chase Burgess and Stephen Folk-Cruthirds. He was defended by Keith Whiddon and Sean Fore. 

The case was docket No. 405287.

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