A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a sporting goods store manager at gunpoint last November during a plot to steal more than 100 guns from the store.
Darnell Bishop, 33, agreed to a plea agreement Tuesday in which he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime that occurred on Nov. 16, 2023, and faces up to life in prison, according to a Department of Justice news release.
Bishop’s brother and co-defendant, Dontrell Nance, pleaded guilty to the same charges in April and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month, according to the Department of Justice.
As part of the deal, Bishop admitted to authorities that he and Nance went to the home of the manager of Dunham’s Sports in Benton Harbor, handcuffed and blindfolded him at gunpoint, then took him to another location and forced him to give them the code to disable the store’s alarm.
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Darnell Bishop pleaded guilty to kidnapping the manager of Dunham’s Sports in Benton Harbor, Michigan, at gunpoint, forcing him to reveal the store’s security code, and then, along with his brother, stealing 123 guns from the store. (Ministry of Justice)
The pair then went to a sporting goods store, where Bishop said he stole two coolers, sunglasses and 123 handguns while Nance stayed in a car with the store manager, according to the Associated Press. The AP also reported that evidence included video of the theft.
The gun, which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined to be worth more than $100,000, was later recovered by law enforcement.
The stolen guns were valued at more than $100,000, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (Don Campbell/Herald Palladium via The Associated Press)
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Mark Totten, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said his office is “fully committed” to prosecuting those who are “driving gun violence in our communities.”
“Had Darnell Bishop’s audacious crimes been successful, illegal firearms would have flooded the streets of Benton Harbor and the surrounding area,” Totten said. “I’m grateful to our law enforcement partners for their swift investigative efforts that thwarted this criminal scheme.”
All 123 guns stolen from Dunham’s Sports in Benton Harbor, Michigan, have been recovered by police. (FBI Detroit/Facebook)
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Special Agent in Charge James Dale of the Detroit District Office said armed robberies of federally licensed firearms dealers are “one of the ATF’s top priorities” and that Tuesday’s plea agreement is the “best-case scenario” for the dealers and their employees.
“The message remains clear: there is no place in our communities for illegal gun traffickers or those who seek to target and victimize business owners and employees who are simply trying to provide for their families,” Dale said.
A sentencing date for Bishop has not yet been announced.
