A man from Wilmer, Alabama, has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentencing follows an incident on April 21, 2025, when the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting on Trace Lane in Wilmer. Deputies found a 17-year-old male dead from gunshot wounds at the scene.
Witnesses and investigators identified Jason Paul Covington, age 43, as the shooter. After the shooting, Covington hid the firearm—a Winchester Model 1200, 12-gauge shotgun—under a nearby shed and left the area. Law enforcement later recovered the weapon. Covington had previously been convicted of Escape, making it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Covington was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to that charge. United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced him to serve 168 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentence.
The case was investigated by both the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Terrill and Jimmy L. Thomas prosecuted on behalf of the United States.
According to officials, this prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which is described as “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
