A federal jury took decisive action, finding Minneapolis resident Clenest Demon Wells, Jr., guilty on multiple counts including illegal firearm possession and operating a machinegun, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota reported.
Wells, 28, with a history of felony convictions, was barred from owning firearms. Yet he was caught multiple times with guns, the details of which emerged through court documents and trial evidence. For instance, on April 6, 2020, after being reported for brandishing a gun on a Metro Transit bus, he was discovered with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol upon a police search, as explained in a Justice Department release. Wells’ continued defiance of the law, surfaced again on May 23, 2022, during a traffic stop where officers smelling, and spotting marijuana, led to the discovery of another 9mm pistol in his vehicle.
The most alarming incident occurred on July 30, 2023, when a public altercation and reports of a gun prompted law enforcement intervention. Wells, part of the chaos, was found with a Glock 17 equipped with a “switch”, allowing the weapon to spray bullets with deadly rapidity — ten shots in under a second, according to FBI test firing results. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick underscored the conviction, saying, “Today’s conviction holds Wells accountable for the fear and violence he has inflicted on the community for far too long,” as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota…