Gordon “Rudy” Connell, a 28-year-old resident of Summerville, South Carolina, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Connell has a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for illegal firearm possession, theft, and violent assaults. Since turning 18, he has been arrested on 53 warrants across 20 incidents and has accumulated 24 convictions. At the time of this latest offense, Connell was on probation.
The investigation revealed that on September 9, 2023, Connell was arrested in Laurens County for stealing a motorcycle. After his arrest, he sold the motorcycle to Timothy Lattimer to raise money for bond. Upon release from jail after posting bond, Connell demanded the return of the motorcycle from Lattimer; when Lattimer refused, Connell stole it back several days later.
Later that night on September 15, Lattimer went to the location where Connell was staying and saw him working on the stolen motorcycle. Surveillance footage obtained by Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office detectives showed an initial confrontation between the two men during which threats were exchanged before Lattimer left and returned with a firearm. When Lattimer came back and began backing away toward the street as Connell approached him again with the motorcycle, Connell drew a gun from his waistband and pointed it at Lattimer.
Both men then exchanged gunfire. During this exchange, one of Lattimer’s shots struck another person present in the yard and caused severe injury. Detectives recovered spent shell casings at the scene. Law enforcement arrested Lattimer and recovered a 9mm pistol; he was subsequently convicted and is currently serving time in state prison.
Arrest warrants were also issued for Connell following these events. On September 18, Dorchester County Sheriff’s deputies spotted him riding a white motorcycle and attempted to arrest him. He fled but deputies later found both the abandoned motorcycle—with a loaded handgun strapped to its handlebar—and Connell hiding inside a nearby business.
“Career criminals like Connell propel violence into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Law enforcement is working together at every level to identify, investigate and prosecute offenders who continue to break the law and put others in danger. Thank you to our partners at ATF and Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office for seeing this investigation through.”
“Repeat offenders often become bolder criminals and bigger threats to the community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “This case illustrates that fact. ATF is dedicated to working closely with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, and all our law enforcement partners to lessen community violence by taking habitual criminals off our streets. This always increases public safety in our neighborhoods.”
“This case shows how local and federal partners have been working closely together to protect the people of Dorchester County,” said Dorchester County Sheriff Sam Richardson. “This was a dangerous, relentless offender, and our streets are safer with him serving a federal sentence. Connell is well known to police, and his criminal record speaks for itself. We are grateful to ATF and the U.S Attorney’s Office for their commitment to justice and accountability on behalf of our citizens.”
United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Connell to 120 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release; there is no parole available under federal law.
The investigation benefited from leads generated through use of ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which enables law enforcement agencies nationwide to compare ballistic evidence quickly across multiple crime scenes involving firearms.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime by coordinating efforts among various levels of law enforcement along with community organizations focused on preventing violence.
The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF), South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case; Assistant U.S Attorney Sean Kittrell prosecuted it.
