Jackson's Gang Enforcement Unit has recovered 18 firearms and ammunition in two searches over about two weeks, the Jackson Police Department said.
According to the department, on Oct. 15 officers executed a search of a residence in West Jackson. Investigators recovered seven firearms and ammunition, and one of the guns had been illegally converted into a fully automatic machine gun. On Oct. 23, officers carried out a second search at a residence in North Jackson. That search turned up 11 firearms, two of them illegally converted into fully automatic machine guns, plus more ammunition.
Arrests and next steps
Police said one individual has been arrested in connection with the searches. Another person is awaiting indictment, pending the completion of forensic testing. The department did not release names, charges or addresses in its announcement.
In a statement, JPD said it remains committed to addressing illegal firearms possession and keeping the community safe through proactive enforcement and investigative efforts.
What conversion means
A firearm illegally converted into a fully automatic weapon can fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Police described the converted guns found in these searches as machine guns, and said the conversions were illegal. The department's announcement did not say how the conversions were made or where the weapons came from.
Other recent firearm cases in Jackson
The searches came during a busy stretch for firearm recoveries. In the early hours of Oct. 20, officers searching the LANA area for burglary suspects found five juveniles in a vehicle on Prospect Avenue and recovered three firearms. Police said the teens, ages 15, 16 and 17, were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center on weapons and other charges. Separately, on Oct. 24 officers found six people, four of them juveniles, inside a vacant house on Otis Street in East Jackson, with three guns, two reported stolen.
Anyone with information about illegal guns or violent crime in Jackson can contact the Jackson Police Department.
Sources: WBBJ, Jackson Police Department statement as reported by WBBJ