Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-07-01222/USCOURTS-ca8-07-01222-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Christopher T. Brown
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Ortrie D. Smith, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 07-1222

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the

v. * Western District of Missouri.

* 

Christopher T. Brown, * [UNPUBLISHED]

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: October 15, 2007

Filed: October 26, 2007

___________

Before BYE, BOWMAN, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Christopher Brown pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm

in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) & 924(a)(2) and was sentenced to ninety-seven

months of imprisonment. In calculating the advisory guideline range, the district

court1

 applied both a four-level enhancement under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines

(U.S.S.G.) § 2K2.1(b)(5) (2005) after finding Brown possessed the firearm in

connection with another felony offense, and a six-level enhancement under U.S.S.G.

§ 3A1.2(c)(1) (2005) after finding Brown created a substantial risk of serious bodily

Appellate Case: 07-1222 Page: 1 Date Filed: 10/26/2007 Entry ID: 3366232
-2-

injury by firing his weapon at a law enforcement officer. Both enhancements were

based on the same conduct, Brown's act of firing his weapon at Officer Holsworth

while fleeing on foot. 

On appeal, Brown contends the district court erred in finding he fired his

weapon at the officer, claiming the gun accidentally discharged after he tried to throw

it in a dumpster where it hit the top of the dumpster and fell to an asphalt surface.

Brown also contends the district court engaged in impermissible double-counting

when it applied both enhancements based on the single act of firing the weapon while

fleeing the officer.

Reviewing the district court's findings of fact for clear error, United States v.

Finck, 407 F.3d 908, 913 (8th Cir. 2005), we see no basis for reversal. The

government presented sufficient evidence through the testimony of Officer Holsworth

and the cross-examination of Brown's firearm expert, Richard Post, for the district

court to reject Brown's claim of accidental discharge and to find he fired the weapon

at the officer. In addition, Brown's double-counting contention is foreclosed by

United States v. Fleming, 8 F.3d 1264, 1266-67 (8th Cir. 1993) (approving the use of

enhancements under both § 2K2.1 and § 3A1.2 based upon a fleeing defendant's act

of shooting at an officer while possessing a firearm).

Accordingly, we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 07-1222 Page: 2 Date Filed: 10/26/2007 Entry ID: 3366232