A federal jury in Houston convicted Tyler John Jordan, 27, of possession of a machine gun on Mar. 26, following a three-day trial related to a deadly shooting at a McDonald’s restaurant in Katy.
The conviction follows an incident that took place on March 16, 2025, when Jordan and others entered the North Fry Road McDonald’s intending to start a fight. During the altercation, multiple bullets were fired into the crowded lobby from a Glock pistol equipped with an illegal machinegun conversion device known as a switch. One bullet struck and killed a 61-year-old bystander.
Evidence presented during the trial included video footage found on Jordan’s phone showing him holding the weapon about five hours before it was used in the shooting. Law enforcement officers testified that Jordan had lied several times during their investigation. The jury also heard that he had previously admitted to possessing the firearm and knowing it was modified as a machine gun. However, his defense argued he was unaware of the modification and claimed his confession was false; jurors did not accept these claims and found him guilty.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett presided over the case and scheduled sentencing for June 25. At sentencing, Jordan faces up to ten years in federal prison and could be fined up to $250,000. He remains in custody until then.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and FBI led the investigation with support from other agencies including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anh-Khoa Tran and Charles Hagerman are prosecuting.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is part of the Department of Justice under direction from the Attorney General according to its official website. The office focuses on prosecuting federal crimes such as this case while also handling civil matters for government interests as described online. With more than 200 attorneys covering over nine million people across 43 counties—including offices in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville—the office has seen leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani (2022-2025) among its former heads according to its history page.
