Southwest Illinois man sentenced to prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm
.jpg "An intimidating look at a .45 caliber handgun. Getty Images | Royalty Free")
A Cahokia man who fired a shot at a St. Louis police officer last year was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Conrad Sparkman 36, pleaded guilty Sept. 24 in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On June 11, 2019, St. Louis Police officers tried to stop a vehicle driven by Sparkman for having a tinted windshield and an expired Missouri license plate. After fleeing the police at a high rate of speed, Sparkman drove his car the wrong way down a one-way street, into oncoming traffic and through a stoplight, a news release stated.
The aviation unit monitored Sparkman until he parked the car in the 4100 block of Shreve. After watching Sparkman and a woman exit the car, officers tried to detain him but he ran away. During the pursuit, Sparkman fired at officers, the release stated.
Officers returned fire at Sparkman. He was shot in the left arm and right hand and dropped his gun. Sparkman continued to run before falling near the sidewalk in the 4800 block of Bessie, the release stated.
Police recovered numerous items along Sparkman’s path, including a 9mm pistol loaded with one live round in the chamber as well as a magazine containing eight more live rounds, according to the release.
Sparkman previously had been convicted of felonies of robbery of the 2nd degree and felon in possession of a firearm.
