NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A Norfolk man will spend nearly 12 years in prison for possessing Glock switches and a Glock handgun.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 28-year-old Karon Rayosha Howard sold the Glock switches, or autosear kits, that convert handguns into fully automatic machine guns.

He sold one of the devices to Norfolk gang member Shy’Quan Dodson, which was used in a July 2021 shootout in downtown Norfolk, court records show. Dodson was arrested after a high-speed chase that ended in a crash.

Officers recovered a Glock machine gun Dodson threw out the car window and saw it was illegally modified with a 3D-printed Glock switch. The investigation led police to Howard’s home, where they executed a search warrant and recovered two more Glock switches, a firearm and marijuana packaged for sale.

Howard told police, “I’m always gonna go to jail for firearms. You feel me? I’m gonna have a gun on me.”

He was sentenced on August 26 to 140 months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Jackson and Joe Depadilla, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Graham Stolle prosecuted the case.

Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, provided this comment following the conclusion of this case:

“Illegal gun dealers are like drug dealers: They supply the deadly and illegal weapons that kill our citizens. When an individual puts an automatic weapon on our streets, we will prosecute them and take them off of the street. I am grateful to United States Attorney and to our federal partners for their continued teamwork in making our streets safer and holding accountable the people whose crimes drive violence.”

Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi