GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — One of the men who stole over 100 handguns from a Dunham's Sports store after kidnapping the manager was sentenced Monday.
Dontrell Nance, 25, of Benton Harbor, will spend 15 years in prison for kidnapping and brandishing a firearm. He pleaded guilty to the charges in April.
His brother, Darnell Bishop, is also facing kidnapping and firearm charges in connection to this incident. He pleaded guilty in July.
Around 2 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2023, the Dunham's Sports store manager in Benton Harbor called police and said just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 16 two men approached him outside his home, held him at gunpoint, blindfolded him, handcuffed him and then put him in the back seat of his own car.
The manager said the two assailants drove him to an unknown area, where one of the men started interrogating the manager about the store's security systems.
One of the men then held a gun to his head and made him reveal the passcode to the store's alarm, the criminal complaint details. That's when the other suspect grabbed the store keys and left.
Surveillance video shows a suspect arrive at the Dunham's and disable the code around 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 16. He then filled two blue Yeti coolers with a total of 123 handguns and left the store.
During the kidnapping, the manager told investigators one of the suspects tried to use CashApp to send themselves money from the manager's debit card.
That transaction is how investigators linked the suspects to the crime.
“Gun violence is a national epidemic, and my office is focused on the handful of offenders driving gun violence in communities across our District,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “The quick, coordinated actions by law enforcement kept 123 handguns from flooding our streets and further spreading this scourge and the trauma it brings.”
Bishop is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 25.
