Opinion ID: 2967883
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Section 924(c) Violations

Text: For the same reasons, we likewise reject Higgs’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence proffered to convict him of the firearm violations. In order to establish a violation of 18 U.S.C.A. § 924(c), the government was required to prove that Higgs (1) used or carried a firearm, and (2) that he did so during and in relation to the murders. See United States v. Mitchell, 104 F.3d 649, 652 (4th Cir. 1997). Higgs retrieved the gun from a drawer in his apartment before leaving the apartment to pursue the three women and kept the gun in his possession until after he had pulled off the road and instructed the women to get out of the van. Thus, it is clear that substantial evidence supports the jury’s verdict on these counts as well.