A Longview man, Jamichael Devorea O’Quinn, pleaded guilty on May 1 to two counts of possession of a machine gun in the Eastern District of Texas, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
The case concerns a drive-by shooting at a high school graduation party near Longview on May 18, 2024. Authorities say O’Quinn was identified as one of the shooters by eyewitnesses and victims. The investigation found that he had publicly displayed a blue machine gun conversion device, known as a Glock Switch, on social media and warned about his willingness to use it.
Images from social media showing the pistol with the distinctive device were presented in court. O’Quinn was arrested during a traffic stop in Longview on July 26, where officers seized a firearm equipped with such a conversion device. Ballistic tests confirmed it was used in the earlier shooting.
O’Quinn faces up to ten years in federal prison; however, sentencing will be determined by the court following advisory guidelines and statutory factors after completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. He has also been indicted for murder in an unrelated Gregg County drive-by shooting but is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“Our focus in this case was to bring some measure of justice for the victims of this shooting. The illegal possession of a machine gun cannot, and will not, be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “The families of Longview deserve to live free of fear. My office, federal agents, and local law enforcement will never tire in their efforts to root out and hold accountable those who inflict violence on our communities.”
District Attorney John Moore said, “The Gregg County District Attorney’s Office is proud to work with our partners to share a strategy that has improved public safety in Gregg County.” Special Agent in Charge Brian Garner added: “ATF is proud to stand alongside our local, state, and federal partners in bringing this offender to justice… We will continue to prioritize cases like this to disrupt criminal activity and protect the public.”
Longview Police Chief Anthony Boone said: “The Longview Police Department will not tolerate illegal fully automatic weapons in our city… We are thankful for the partnership and support of the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources against violent crime involving illegal firearms or transnational criminal organizations.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Longview Police Department; Gregg County Sheriff’s Office; Gregg County District Attorney’s Office; and Texas Department of Public Safety investigated this case.
According to the official website, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District prosecutes federal crimes across 43 counties from offices including Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler while supporting victims through dedicated services as part of its roughly 100-person staff within the United States Department of Justice.
