A Wilson man, Joshua Elijah Strickland, 22, was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. Strickland pled guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025.
Court documents and information presented in court revealed that Strickland was arrested last July when the Wilson Police Department searched a house where he and other gang members stored guns and drugs. This search followed an incident on June 26, 2024, when multiple men were seen retreating to the gang house after firing 11 rounds into another occupied house nearby. The June 26 shooting was part of an increase in gang violence last summer, with at least 12 gang-related shootings occurring in less than one month in Wilson. Strickland has prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen firearm and maintaining a place for the use, storage, or sale of controlled substances.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing after it was handed down by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Wilson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Chris Cogburn prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are available on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-305.
