Father of Alleged Lamar High School Shooter Sentenced to 6+ Years for Gun Crime

The father of a 15-year-old accused of fatally shooting a classmate at Lamar High School was sentenced Thursday to more than six years in federal prison for a gun crime, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

John Edward Porter, 50, was charged in March and pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman to 77 months in federal prison.

According to court documents, shortly after his son allegedly opened fire at Arlington’s Lamar High School on March 20, fatally shooting one student and injuring another, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Mr. Porter’s apartment.

Inside the home, agents found paperwork for a Mossberg, model 500, 12-gauge shotgun – the same gun recovered from the scene of the shooting. A trace revealed a relative of Mr. Porter had purchased the gun for him.

Inside Mr. Porter’s bedroom, agents also found a Smith & Wesson .357 gauge revolver, a Glock .40 caliber pistol, and a Smith & Wesson M&P .556 caliber rifle.

Mr. Porter, who had been convicted of first degree robbery and sexual battery in Louisiana in 1996 and was thus legally barred from possessing firearms, admitted to possessing all four guns, including the Mossberg.

Records indicated that Mr. Porter had attempted to purchase guns from licensed firearm dealers in 2014 and 2020, but was denied after the background check flagged his prior felony convictions.  

The accused shooter has been charged by the state with murder and aggravated assault. He remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives Dallas Field Division and the Arlington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Gatto prosecuted the case.