JACKSONVILLE — A federal jury convicted an 11-time convicted felon who pointed a homemade, short-barreled rifle at three young men playing basketball in Jacksonville, finding him guilty of possessing ammunition and an unregistered firearm without a serial number. John Flowers Grissom, 55, faces a minimum of 15 years and up to life in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the conviction. The jury found that Grissom had three or more prior robbery convictions committed on different occasions, triggering enhanced penalties under the Armed Career Criminal Act. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30, 2026.
The incident unfolded last September when three young men were playing basketball in Jacksonville and one lost his keys. While retracing his steps, the young man encountered Grissom and asked whether he had seen the keys. As the group later circled the block in a vehicle, they observed Grissom hiding outside his residence with a short-barreled rifle equipped with a red laser. Grissom pointed the weapon at the young men as they drove past.
Fearing for their lives, the young men called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and provided officers with detailed physical descriptions of Grissom, his residence and his firearm. When officers arrived, they observed Grissom’s window lit from inside and his door quickly open and shut. For more than two hours, Grissom pretended not to be home before ultimately exiting and submitting to arrest.
When interviewed, Grissom stated that he was “on heavy medication and did it because he was scared due to recent robberies in his neighborhood.” Officers conducting a lawful search of his residence found rifle ammunition in Grissom’s toilet, an upper receiver for an AR-15-style rifle underneath his bed covers and the lower receiver and stock inside a hole in his box spring. A bolt carrier and ammunition magazine were recovered from the trash.
The barrel of the rifle measured approximately 8.5 inches, subjecting it to regulation under the National Firearms Act. A search of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record confirmed the firearm was not registered to Grissom. The weapon had been privately made and bore no serial number as required under the NFA. As an 11-time convicted felon, Grissom is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
Grissom was initially charged by criminal complaint in November 2024. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura Cofer Taylor and Rick Lasseter. Grissom’s sentencing before a federal judge is set for Sept. 30.