A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced on March 13 to sixty-six months in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing a stolen handgun. Zyair J. Taylor, 24, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips after being found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address violent crime involving firearms. According to court documents, officers were conducting surveillance on May 21, 2025, at a residence in the 400 block of Lawn Avenue in Kansas City to arrest Taylor on outstanding warrants. When Taylor exited the house and saw police, he fled on foot and pulled out a black handgun with a large drum magazine from his jacket. Despite commands from officers to drop the weapon, Taylor threw it over his head while running and then physically resisted arrest. Officers recovered the Taurus Model G3c 9mm handgun loaded with one round in the chamber and forty-nine rounds in the magazine. The gun had been reported stolen in Columbia, Missouri in 2023.
Taylor had previously been convicted of five felony offenses before this sentencing hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Kansas City Police Department.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative that uses resources from the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach and prevention programs aimed at addressing issues like violent crime and drug trafficking, according to the official website. The office has locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield according to its official website, covers federal prosecutions across sixty-six counties according to its official website, and collaborates with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners according to its official website. Its jurisdiction stretches from Iowa’s border southward to Arkansas’s border and eastward halfway across Missouri according to its official website. The office is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website.
Cases like this reflect broader efforts by federal authorities to reduce gun violence through partnerships with local agencies and targeted initiatives.
