Wilmington gang member sentenced after foot chase involving stolen gun

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - 31-year-old Brandon Elazor Jackson of Wilmington pled guilty to one count of possession of firearm by felon and one count of possession of stolen firearm on Monday.

Jackson was sentenced to 45 months minimum to six years maximum in prison after attempting to flee from law enforcement, per an announcement from the District Attorney.

On Feb. 15 at around 1:30 p.m., Wilmington police officers attempted to serve Jackson a warrant in the 400 block of South 10th Street, when Jackson tried to run.

According to police, a silver Cobra .380 caliber handgun fell out of Jackson’s pocket during the chase, and an investigation revealed that the firearm had been stolen in New Hanover County in November of 2022.

Jackson reportedly has prior convictions for possession of firearm by felon, possession of stolen firearm, and common law robbery. He is also a validated member of the 9 Trey faction of the United Blood Nation street gang.

“As the County’s designated gang and gun crimes prosecutor, it is my top priority to make sure firearms stay out of the hands of dangerous career offenders such as this one,” Assistant District Attorney Brad Matthews said.

“This case exemplifies the type of conduct that I and other local leaders spoke about preventing in our NC SAFE press conference last month at New Hanover High School,” District Attorney Ben David said. “When lawful gun owners fail to secure their firearms, these weapons are often stolen and end up in the hands of dangerous prohibited possessors, like we saw in this case. Fortunately, thanks to the diligent efforts of law enforcement, officers were able seize this firearm from the defendant before it could be used to commit further acts of violence in our community.”