ORLANDO, Fla. – 25-year-old Malcolm Bellamy of Orlando was sentenced to five years in federal prison Friday for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Bellamy to forfeit the firearm used during the commission of the crime.
Bellamy pleaded guilty on June 6, 2024, following a criminal investigation stemming from a street confrontation and subsequent police pursuit.
According to court records, the incident began on April 21, 2023, when a 911 caller reported that a man, later identified as Bellamy, had pulled a gun and fired it at him during a confrontation. Orlando Police officers responded to the scene and observed an altercation involving a man and the occupants of a blue sedan.
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As officers approached in marked patrol vehicles, the sedan sped away. The man in the street pointed to the fleeing vehicle, saying, “that’s them.”
Police pursued the vehicle to a residence later identified as Bellamy’s home. There, a front-seat passenger exited the vehicle holding a black object. After briefly disappearing behind a tree, the passenger returned to the vehicle and complied with officers’ commands to get on the ground.
Bellamy, who had been driving, was also detained. Officers searched the area and discovered an open black bag behind the tree containing a chrome 9mm Taurus handgun. The weapon’s magazine was loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. A shell casing consistent with the shooting report was also found near the original scene.
Forensic testing confirmed Bellamy’s DNA on the firearm, and the recovered shell casing was matched to the weapon in the black bag.
At the time of the incident, Bellamy was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions, including robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orlando Police Department. Special Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lyons and Matthew Del Mastro prosecuted it.
Bellamy will serve his sentence in federal prison without the possibility of parole.
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