NORFOLK, Va. — A Virginia Beach man was sentenced on Friday, Aug. 12, to seven years in prison for possessing a machine gun used in a shootout in Norfolk.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 25-year-old Shy’Quan Dodson was found possessing a machine gun on July 18, 2021. According to court filings, Dodson is a member of the Norfolk-based Kai Gang, a criminal street gang.
Norfolk Police officers were in the 900 block of Tunstall Avenue when they reportedly observed multiple individuals shooting at each other. According to the DOJ, the individuals then attempted to escape by driving away in three separate vehicles.
As police gave chase, one of the suspects reportedly tossed a firearm from the rear of one vehicle, according to the DOJ. After a 15-minute pursuit that ended in a crash in Portsmouth, a suspect — now identified as Dodson — was arrested after attempting to run away from the vehicle.
The firearm tossed from the vehicle was identified as a Glock with an attached component that converted the handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. According to the DOJ, a primer residue test revealed Dodson had primer particles on his hands from the discharge of a firearm.
A search of Dodson’s cell phone also showed pictures of him holding the weapon and conversations with another individual related to buying the machine gun conversion kits, according to court documents.
