Fort Worth Shooting Suspect Sentenced to 10 Years for Gun Crime

A Fort Worth man who allegedly shot through the door of a local home, hitting an 82-year-old woman in the chest, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Jonathan R. Howard, 35, was charged in March and pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.

According to court documents, law enforcement responded to a shooting at a home in Fort Worth at 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 23. The 82-year-old victim had already been transported to the hospital. 

Officers discovered cartridge casings in the backyard of Mr. Howard’s residence, which was across the alley from the victim’s property. 

The following day, officers searched Mr. Howard’s home and car and located three firearms: a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol, and a Taurus 9mm pistol. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, including forgery in 2011 and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance in 2019, Mr. Howard was legally barred from possessing firearms.  

Mr. Howard has also been charged by the state with aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. Those charges remain pending; he is considered innocent in that case until proven guilty.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division – Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Fort Worth Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted the case.