BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBMA) — A Jefferson County man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison on a gun charge, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced. Jaden O’Neal Cooper, also known as “Tallapoosa Jay,” 21, of Midfield, Alabama, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala after pleading guilty in January to possession of a machine gun.
Court documents revealed that on February 1, 2024, law enforcement agencies, including the Leeds Police Department, Birmingham Police Department East Task Force, FBI, and Jefferson County Sheriff Department’s Star One Aviation Unit, were conducting surveillance in the Inglenook area. Detectives observed a red 2021 Hyundai Sonata with a tag that belonged to a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata, indicating the tag had been switched.
During a traffic stop initiated by a Birmingham Police officer, Jaden O’Neal Cooper, identified as a passenger and a known member of the Hard to Kill “H2K” street gang, was found with an AM-15 pistol at his feet. The firearm was loaded and equipped with a 3-D printed “swift link” conversion device, which converted it into a fully automatic machine gun…