Tommy Thompson convicted of gun charges

A Shreveport man with a criminal record who brandished a firearm while on a video call to his brother who was incarcerated at Caddo Correctional Center was convicted Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Caddo District Court.

The seven-woman, five-man jury in District Judge Donald E. Hathaway Jr.'s court deliberated for two and half hours before returning its unanimous verdict against Tommy Pernell Thompson, 24. Thompson was convicted of two counts of attempted possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon and one count of possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon.

The jury heard that on March 27, 2025, investigators with the Violent Crime Abatement Team of the Shreveport Police Department watched video jail calls made by Thompson to his brother who was a prisoner at CCC. Thompson could be seen brandishing a pistol on two separate video calls.

Investigators continued their monitoring of video calls and on June 18-19, 2025, detectives observed Thompson brandishing an AR-style pistol with a drum magazine. 

Detectives obtained a search warrant for Thompson's residence, where officers found a Draco-styled rifle with a drum magazine and 100 rounds of ammunition, along with Thompson's cellphone, insurance card and driver’s license. A search of Thompson's cell phone turned up photographs that showed him brandishing the rifle in multiple pictures. Metadata showed that he possessed the rifle after his 2023 conviction of aggravated assault upon a dating partner, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.

When Thompson returns to Judge Hathaway's court July 8, 2026, he faces a prison term of up to 34 years, due to enhanced sentencing through prior convictions for battery on a dating partner and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of battery on a dating partner. 

Assistant District Attorneys Chase Burgess and Jason Waltman prosecuted Thompson, who was represented by the Indigent Defenders office.

The case was docket No. 410336.