Man who wasn’t supposed to have firearms, is sentenced to prison after accidentally shooting himself while driving
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The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.
BOISE — Pedro Colis, 24, of Hailey, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 40 months in prison, followed by 3 years supervised release, for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Colis was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge.
According to court records, on April 14, Colis was driving his vehicle in Lincoln County. Colis had two handguns placed on the passenger seat. While driving, Colis attempted to move the two handguns from the front seat to the rear seat floorboard with one hand. As Colis attempted to move the firearms, one went off. A bullet struck Colis in his upper leg. He was treated at a local hospital, where he was interviewed by law enforcement. Colis admitted to possessing the two handguns. A records check confirmed that Colis was previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver in 2013. Due to this conviction, Colis was a prohibited possessor of firearms at the time he shot himself.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the City of Shoshone Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.