NJ Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Possessing Ammunition Tied to 2022 Shooting

Rashon Lawery, a convicted felon, was found with a loaded ghost gun and ammunition linked to a shooting that injured three people.

A Trenton man has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing ammunition in connection with a 2022 shooting that left three people injured, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Rashon Lawery, 27, previously pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court. In addition to the prison term, Lawery was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

According to court records and statements made in court, the charges stem from a May 23, 2022, shooting incident in Trenton. Law enforcement responded to the scene, where three individuals had sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Officers recovered six 9-millimeter shell casings at the location.

During a subsequent foot chase through a Trenton park, Lawery was observed discarding an unserialized semiautomatic pistol—commonly referred to as a "ghost gun"—equipped with a high-capacity 32-round magazine. The firearm was loaded with 20 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition at the time of its recovery. Forensic ballistics analysis later confirmed that the casings found at the shooting scene had been discharged from Lawery’s firearm.

As a previously convicted felon, Lawery was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. His unlawful possession was directly tied to the shooting incident, which was a central factor in the prosecution.

The investigation involved collaboration between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Trenton Police Department, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Trenton.