Felon heads to prison on gun conviction

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A felon is heading to prison for the first time after being convicted on a gun charge.

A New Hanover County jury this week found Christopher Allen McKiver guilty of possession of a firearm by a felon.

On April 12, 2014, Wilmington Police responded to Long Leaf Park for a call of a man with a gun. They soon found a man who matched the description the caller gave. Police found a .45 caliber Sig Sauer handgun feet from McKiver’s car, which was left running as McKiver walked away as police approached. Investigators say the car was registered to McKiver’s brother in Elizabethtown, where the gun had been reported stolen.

The District Attorney’s Office says McKiver received a 14-26 months suspended sentence and six months active sentence followed by 24 months supervised probation.

According to the NC Department of Public Safety website, McKiver, 42, was convicted in 2009 for felony drug possession in Bladen County and sentenced to probation.