A man arrested in March 2020 as a suspect in an Arlington shooting was sentenced Tuesday to 27 years in federal prison for illegal gun possession, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas said.
Witnesses told police that Abedel Sattar Alkheqani, 27, got out of a pickup with a gun and fired three times at the victim, the attorney’s office said. The victim was hit by gunfire but survived.
Police identified Alkheqani as the suspect based on surveillance video and witness descriptions of the pickup, the office said.
After police apprehended Alkheqani, he consented to the search of his property, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Police found a single round of 9mm ammunition in his pickup. The round matched the make and caliber of shell casings found at the shooting scene, the office said. Officers also found a rifle and a magazine of ammunition.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Alkheqani told police the rifle belonged to his wife. But during a recorded jailhouse call, he asked his wife, “Is my rifle still there?” before correcting himself, the office said. Forensic analysis also showed that Alkheqani had gunshot residue on his body on the day of the shooting.
Alkheqani had five prior felony convictions, including four for burglary of a habitation, the U.S. attorney’s office said. After a two-day trial in March, a jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Because of the prior convictions, he received an enhanced sentence of 27 years in prison, the office said.
Alkheqani’s lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
