12 Year Prison Sentenced Imposed

Defendant Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person

A Reno man has been sentenced to the maximum of 12 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 4 and a half years. 46-year-old Jeremiah Graham previously pled guilty to two felony counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

During sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks argued for the maximum sentence on Graham, saying the Court has an obligation to protect the community from harm and that also means to protect officers who put their lives on the line in effort to keep our community safe.  The Honorable Judge Kathleen Sigurdson agreed to the State’s recommendation and ordered the defendant to serve the maximum for each count consecutively, highlighting that public safety is her top priority.  

The case against Graham began in January of this year when officers with the Reno Police Department were called to an apartment complex on Sky Valley Drive. When law enforcement arrived, they found a 31-year-old woman who had been beaten by Graham, who was her roommate. While officers helped the victim back into the apartment to collect her things, they noticed several firearms around the residence.  

A short time later, officers observed Graham and his brother, Scott Kennedy, return to the apartment, gather several guns, and then begin to leave again. A police officer attempted to speak with Graham and Kennedy.  Refusing to speak to police, Kennedy instead began to shoot at the officer with a semi-auto rifle, striking him three times in the leg and abdomen. RPD was able to return fire and shot both men, killing Kennedy and wounding Graham.  The officer was taken to a local hospital where he underwent several surgeries; he survived but is still recovering from his injuries. The investigation found that while Graham was in possession of firearms, he did not discharge any firearms nor directly cause any injuries to the officer.

At the time of the shooting, Graham was in possession of an AR-15 and a handgun, and multiple guns were found in a safe in Graham’s apartment in his room. Graham has previously been convicted of three prior felonies, two Battery with a Deadly Weapon offenses, and one Felon in Possession of a Firearm offense, and is therefore prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.