Des Moines man acquitted of murder fails in challenge to federal firearm conviction
A Polk County jury wasn't convinced that Tyrone Cameron shot and killed Jeffrey Gillom. A federal jury, presented with the same facts, came to a different conclusion.
Cameron, 30, was charged with murder and other crimes after the April 2022 shooting at the Hickman Flats Apartments in Des Moines. At his trial later that year, prosecutors argued Cameron was angry about a fight earlier in the evening and came back to fire 15 bullets through the door of the apartment where Gillom, 59, was staying, killing him and wounding a woman. The jury, though was not persuaded, and acquitted Cameron on all charges.
In federal court, Cameron has not fared so well. Shortly after his state court acquittal, he was charged federally in connection with Gillom's shooting on a count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He was convicted at trial in April 2023, and on Thursday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that verdict.
Court finds 'ample' evidence Cameron was shooter
In his appeal, Cameron argued there was insufficient evidence to tie him to Gillom's shooting and claimed prosecutors had introduced inadmissible evidence and engaged in misconduct during his federal trial. He also argued the felon-in-possession law runs afoul of the Second Amendment.
Judge Raymond Gruender wrote for the court that "ample circumstantial evidence" suggests Cameron was the shooter. Cameron's then-girlfriend testified Cameron was angry at Gillom, said he wanted to kill him, and asked her to make sure no police were in the area shortly before the shooting. Surveillance video showed a man entering the building concealing something with his arm, wearing clothing similar to garments later found at Cameron's girlfriend's house.
The court also rejected Cameron's constitutional claim and said the district court did not err in letting the jury hear about Cameron's prior criminal convictions. Nor did it find that prosecutors overstepped in their closing arguments by saying Cameron had "lied" about various topics.
Cameron is currently serving a 10-year sentence on the federal conviction, the maximum for that offense. In pre-sentencing court filings, prosecutors called him "a consistent and unmitigated danger to the community his entire adult life," noting a series of prior state and federal convictions for gun possession, domestic violence and other crimes.
Attorney F. Montgomery Brown, representing Cameron in his appeal, declined to comment beyond noting Cameron may have additional avenues to seek review of his case.
Apartments sued for lack of security
Thursday's decision isn't the only recent court action related to the 2022 shooting. On April 2, Gillom's children filed a lawsuit against the owner, management company and security provider for the Hickman Flats Apartments. The complaint alleged the defendants "failed to properly maintain and secure the entrance to the apartment building, resulting in the unauthorized access by the non-tenant perpetrator (of the shooting)."
The defendants do not have an attorney listed and have yet to file a response in court.
Cameron, meanwhile, has his own pending lawsuit against the city of Des Moines. During his arrest, days after the shooting, police saw him jumping off a roof and dispatched a police dog to prevent him from fleeing. Cameron suffered bite injuries and, in his suit, accuses the officers of failing to warn they were releasing the dog, as they were supposed to, and allowing it to keep biting him for 10 seconds longer than necessary after reaching him themselves.
That case currently is scheduled for trial in January.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tyrone Cameron, acquitted of murder, convicted of related gun crime
