Iowa City man sentenced to 12 years for illegally possessing gun that toddler found

An Iowa City man, who previously had been convicted of firearms and domestic violence charges, was sentenced last week to 12 years in federal prison for possessing a stolen and loaded semi-automatic pistol that a toddler discharged, fatally shooting himself in the face in 2022.

Chris Lee Gordon, 34, in this case pleaded guilty to one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The other two charges he faced were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Gordon to 12 years in prison, running both convictions concurrently, and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to court documents, Gordon was out drinking at a club July 2, 2022. and then went to a female friend’s apartment in the 900 block of Boston Way in Coralville. The next day around noon, the friend’s 3-year-old child, Damari Sanders, got out of bed, found the loaded Ruger pistol and shot himself in the left eye, the plea stated.

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Gordon and the child’s mother got up when they heard the gunshot and found the injured toddler in the hallway, according to the plea agreement. The pistol was on the floor next to the child. Gordon picked up the gun and ran out of the apartment.

“Defendant did not stop to render aid to the child nor offer assistance to the child’s traumatized mother,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Melisa Zaehringer said in her sentencing document, arguing for a more prison time. “The actions of the defendant caused grave consequences of loss of life.”

The 3-year-old died at 6:56 p.m. July 3, 2022, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Gordon’s advisory guideline sentencing was between 87 to 108 months, and Zaehringer asked the judge to vary upward — which Judge Rose did to 144 months. The guidelines had not “identified or contemplated” a case like this one where a toddler was killed because of a defendant’s “negligence,” Zaehringer added.

After Gordon fled the Coralville apartment, he ran toward the Coralville Strip on Highway 6 and threw the pistol on the rooftop of Caribou Coffee, 22445 Second St., according to the plea agreement. The pistol wasn’t found until Aug. 17, 2022, when workers who were on the roof saw it and called police.

Gordon remained at large until July 24, 2022, when Iowa City officers arrested him during a traffic stop near Gilbert Street and Maiden Lane. A loaded 9 mm caliber firearm with an extended magazine was also found in the car, which Gordon had handled, the plea stated.

Zaehringer, in her sentencing argument, said Gordon didn’t stop his criminal activity after the fatal gun incident. He illegally obtained another loaded pistol and was riding around in a vehicle with it about 20 days later. A review of his phone and social media accounts, including his “Bosscity Chris Da Shooter” account, showed his additional possession of guns.

She asked the judge to consider those other guns in his possession.

Zaehringer prosecuted this case and it was investigated by the Coralville Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com