Shreveport Man Convicted of Six Gunpoint Robberies and Firearms Crimes

Victim shot in the chest during one robbery

SHREVEPORT, La. – Following a four-day trial on Thursday, March 12, 2020, a federal jury in Shreveport convicted Christopher M.K. Dumas, 29, of Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, and related firearms crimes for his participation in five gunpoint robberies in Shreveport and one in Marshall, Texas, announced United States Attorney David C. Joseph.

The evidence at trial established that between March 17, 2017 and April 15, 2017, Dumas robbed at gunpoint, a Metro PCS store, H&S Grocery and Liquor, Inc., Werner Park Grocery, and Rodeway Inn & Suites, all located in Shreveport, and a Boost Mobile store in Marshall, Texas.

“The jury’s verdict holds this defendant responsible for his crime spree that terrorized his victims and the communities in which he operated,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove violent offenders from our streets. I would like to thank the prosecutors in my office for a job well done and the law enforcement officers for their hard work investigating this case.” 

On March 17, 2017, and March 20, 2017, Dumas entered a Metro PCS store waving a .38 Colt Army revolver, demanding the money from the register and safe. He told one employee to put the money in the bag or he would shoot him in the leg. On March 17, Dumas left with $2,568 and on March 20, with $400. Dumas held-up an H&S Grocery and Liquor clerk at gunpoint on March 30, 3017, and told the clerk “give me all the money or I’ll shoot you.” The clerk gave Dumas all of the cash ($400) in the register.

On April 1, 2017, after having met with his parole officer earlier that morning, Dumas traveled to Marshall, Texas, where he robbed a Boost Mobile store. Dumas entered the store, leaped over the sales counter and pointed a.38 Colt revolver at the store clerk, demanding cash from the register. A neighboring business owner heard the store clerk scream and came to aid her. Dumas shot the business owner hitting him twice in the chest and then fled from the scene. A silver Nissan Versa with a dent on the driver’s side door was seen in the area before, during, and after the robbery and was captured on the surveillance cameras of the Greenwood Police Department traveling back to Shreveport.

On April 4, 2017, Dumas and his co-defendant Stafford King, robbed Werner Park Grocery at gunpoint. King put the revolver against the head of a store clerk and told the clerk to give him money. Dumas pointed his gun at another clerk’s head while also demanding money. Both defendants ran out of the store with an unknown amount of money and got into a silver car with a dent on the left side. On April 15, 2017, Dumas pointed a gun at a Rodeway Inn employee and demanded the money from the register. The clerk complied with Dumas’ demands and Dumas got away with $554. On March 20 and April 15, Dumas was also seen getting into a silver car with damage on the left side. Each robbery was captured by video surveillance.

Later on April 25, 2017, a Shreveport police officer saw the silver Nissan Versa matching the description from the robberies and pulled it over after a traffic violation. King was driving and Dumas was in the passenger seat. Law enforcement officers recovered hoodies, bandanas, and gloves from the car that matched descriptions from the robberies. Police also located 9 millimeter ammunition, consistent with a TEC-9 semi-automatic pistol used in the Werner Park and Rodeway Inn robberies and three other weapons from the Nissan Versa.

Dumas, a previously convicted felon, was on state parole for simple burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at the time of the robberies. He was released on parole in January 2017 and started robbing in March.

Chief U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. presided over the trial and set Christopher Dumas’ sentencing for July 22, 2020. Dumas faces 20 years in prison on each Hobbs Act robbery conviction and ten years imprisonment for being a felon in possession of ammunition. In addition, Dumas faces a mandatory minimum of ten years imprisonment for the armed robberies involving a TEC-9, and a mandatory, minimum of seven years imprisonment for the three remaining armed robbery convictions. Each conviction for using a weapon during a crime of violence carries with it a possibility of up to life in prison. Dumas also faces three to five years of supervised release for the various counts of conviction and a $250,000 fine.

Dumas’ co-defendant, Stafford King, pleaded guilty on August 12, 2019, to one violation each of the Hobbs Act and using of a firearm during a crime of violence. King’s sentencing is set for April 9, 2020. King has prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm with an obliterated number, possession of marijuana, illegal possession of stolen things and attempted battery. 

The FBI, ATF, Shreveport Police Department, Marshall, Texas Police Department, and Greenwood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cytheria D. Jernigan and Leon H. Whitten are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.