ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — A Florida man was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for “possession of firearm by a convicted delinquent under 24 years of age,” according to a release from the First Judicial Circuit of Florida Friday.

James Darnell Shoemo, III, 20, was sentenced Wednesday to the maximum sentence of 15 years in Florida prison. He was convicted in February 2023.

Police said they found Shoemo and two other people after responding to a call about gunshots at Oakwood Terrace Apartments in February of 2023. Shoemo fled the scene when officers arrived, throwing a handgun into a wooded area where police later found it.

Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence because Shoemo’s “criminal conduct has increased in seriousness and poses a danger to our citizens,” the release said.