A Beaumont man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, as announced by U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Brian Keith Murphy, 32, entered his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 28, 2024.
Court documents revealed that on August 11, 2024, law enforcement officers received reports of shots fired near a gas station on Concord Avenue in Beaumont. While officers were dispatched, the Beaumont Police Department monitored the situation through their “Real-Time Crime Center,” allowing them to view a live stream of the shooting. Officers witnessed the shooter firing multiple shots near vehicles and individuals in the parking lot.
Through coordination between officers monitoring the live stream and those on the scene, law enforcement was able to identify the vehicle used by the shooter to flee the scene. The vehicle was stopped, and Murphy was identified as the shooter. Two firearms were recovered from the vehicle, one of which was the firearm used in the shooting. At the time of the incident, Murphy was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction related to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Murphy was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 4, 2024. He faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison, although the actual sentence will be determined by the court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that unites various levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The initiative emphasizes fostering trust within communities, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Beaumont Police Department, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
