FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEV EN T HC IRC U IT JUNE 15 , 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 05- 15937 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -001 22 -C R -W T M -4 U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s D E R E K T Y R O N E J A C K S O N , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e S o u th e rn D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( Ju n e 15, 2006) B efo re C A RN E S , M A R C U S an d W IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: D e r e k T y r one J a c ks on appe a l s hi s c onvi c t i on f ol l ow i ng aj ury tr i a l f

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af ir e a rm b y ac o n v ic te d f

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1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 2 ( g ) . W e a f f i rm. J a c k s o n c o n te n d s th a t th e e v id e n c e p r e s e n te d a t tr ia l w a s in s u f f ic ie n t to s u p p o r t ac o n v ic tio n u n d e r§ 9 2 2 ( g ) b e c a u s e it d id n o t e s tab lis h th a t h e k n o w in g ly p o s s e s s e d af

ir e a rm . H e a r g u e s th a t th e p o lic e o f f ic e r s ’ te s tim o n y f

a ile d to e s tab lis h alin k b e tw e e n th e ite m s th e o f f ic e r s s a w J a c k s o n d r o p a n d th r o w w h ile bei ng chas ed by po l i ce and the pi st ol and l oaded p i st ol m agaz i ne l at erre covered f r o m th e a r e a .

“ W e r e vi e w c ha l l e nge s t o the s uf f i c i e nc y of

the e vi de nc e de novo, vi e w i ng the e vi de nc e i n the l i ghtm os tf a vor abl e t o the gove rnm e nt . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. F u tr e ll, 2 0 9 F .3 d 1 2 8 6 , 1 2 8 8 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . T h e ju ry h a s th e e x c lu s iv e p o w e rto de t e rm i ne the c r e di bi l i ty of w i tne s s e s . U ni t e d S t a t e s v. C ha s t a i n, 198 F . 3d 1338, 1 3 5 1 (1 1 th C i r. 1 9 9 9 ). T est i m o n y i s i n cred i b l e as a m att er o f l aw i f i ti n cl u d es

“ fa ct s that[the w i tness ] ph ys i ca l l y c ou l d n othave po ss i bl y observed o r e vent s that c oul d notha ve oc c urr e d unde rthe l a w s of na tur e . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. R i ve r a , 775 F .2 d 1 5 5 9 , 1 5 6 1 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 5 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n s o m itte d ) ( b r a c k e ts in o r ig in a l) . W e w ill d e e m th e e v id e n c e s u f f ic ie n t if ar e a s o n ab le f

a c tf in d e rc o u ld ha ve f ound tha tthe e vi de nc e e s t abl i s he d tha tthe de f e nda ntw a s gui l ty be y ond a re as on abl e dou bt . U ni t ed S t at es v. M cD ow el l , 25 0 F . 3d 13 54 , 13 65 (11th C i r.3

20 01 ).

“ T o e s t abl i s h avi ol a t i on of § 922( g) ( 1) , the gove rnm e ntm us tpr ove be y ond ar e a s onabl e doubtthr e e e l e m e nt s : ( 1) tha tthe de f e nda ntw a s ac onvi c t e d f e l on, ( 2) tha tthe de f

e nda ntw a s i n know i ng pos s e s s i on of af i r e a rm , a nd ( 3) tha tthe f i r e a rm w a s i n ora f

f e c t i ng i nt e r s t a t e c om m e r c e . ” U ni t e d S t a t e s v. D e l e ve a ux, 205 F . 3d 12 92 , 12 96 –9 7 (11 th C i r. 20 00 ). K no w i ng po ss es si on ca n b y s ho w n b y e i ther a c tua l orc ons truc t i ve pos s e s s i on, s o l ong a s the r e i s ar e a s onabl e i nf e r e nc e tha tthe a c c us e d m a i nt a i ne d “ dom i ni on a nd c ontr ol ” ove rthe w e apon. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. S w e e t i ng, 933 F . 2d 962, 965 ( 11th C i r . 1991) B e c a u s e J a c k s o n c o n c e d e s th a t e le m e n ts ( 1 ) a n d ( 3 ) w e r e s h o w n , w e o n ly need address the suff

i ci encyof the evi dence as t o el em ent(2). O ff i ce rs C had H ug hes a nd C l aude D ebnam bo th t es t i fi ed thatthey s aw Ja ckson: (1) drop an obj e c ta f t e rhe f e l l w hi l e runni ng f

r om pol i c e ; a nd ( 2) thr ow a n obj e c tove rthe r oof of a s hed as he r an. D ebnam t es t i fi ed thathe w entt o the ar eaw here Ja ckson h ad drop ped the obj ec tand fou nd a pi st ol m agaz i ne cont ai ni ng am m un i t i on . O ff i ce r C l i ffo rd H u g g i n s t est i fi ed th atato n e p o i n td u ri n g th e ch ase, h e w as o n th e east s i de of as he d a nd J a c ks on w a s on the w e s ts i de . H uggi ns t e s t i f i e d tha taha ndgun w a s th r o w n o v e rth e s h e d a n d la n d e d o n th e g r o u n d in f r o n t o f h im . B a s e d o n th is tri al t es t i m on y, a r ea sonabl e f ac t fi nd ercoul d h ave f

ou nd thatthe evi dence4

e s t ab l i s h e d b e y o n d ar e a s o n ab l e d o u b tth a tJ a c k s o n k n o w i n g l y p o s s e s s e d af i r e a rm. S e e D e l e ve a ux, 205 F . 3d a t1296–97; R i ve r a , 775 F . 2d a t1561; M c D ow e l l , 250 F . 3d at13 65 ; S w ee t i ng , 93 3 F . 2d at96 5. B ec ause suff i ci entevi dence s up po rt ed the j ury ’ s ve r di c t , w e a f f i rm J a c ks on’ s c onvi c t i on. AF F I R ME D.