During the April 6, 2026, Dauphin County Jury Trial Term, a jury convicted Imhotep Muhammad of the felony offense of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Muhammad was barred from possessing a firearm because he has a prior conviction for a felony crime of violence, specifically a 2014 burglary conviction. On May 13, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Police stopped the car that Muhammad was driving for a Vehicle Code violation. Specifically, his brake light did not work. During the traffic stop, the troopers discovered illegally possessed marijuana and started to arrest him. Muhammad immediately resisted that arrest and physically struggled with police.

Police dashcam recorded the portion of the interaction that happened in front of the police car. That video showed Muhammad reach to his waistband as he resisted the lawful arrest. An object consistent with a firearm is visible on the video. The struggle moves off the camera. Immediately after that move, a faint sound, consistent with the sound of a firearm sliding on asphalt, was audible on the recording. A civilian eyewitness testified that she saw Muhammad retrieve something from his waistband and toss the item under the car. Video showed that there was not a handgun in that spot before the physical struggle.

After Muhammad’s arrest, additional members of the Pennsylvania State Police responded and processed this crime scene. They recovered a .380 caliber pistol under the vehicle and submitted it for analysis by the Crime Laboratory. The laboratory identified a DNA profile on the firearm. It contained the DNA of two individuals, one larger than the other. The identifiable one was consistent with the DNA of Imhotep Muhammad. The chances of it being from an unknown, unrelated individual were 1 in 120 million. Pennsylvania State Police also searched the inside of the vehicle that the defendant drove pursuant to a search warrant. Inside the car, police recovered a box of .380 hollow point ammunition of the same brand that were contained within the handgun Muhammad had concealed on his person.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted an inquiry of the .380 firearm based on serial number. A third party purchased this gun in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2015. Muhammad admitted that he had spent time in Tulsa, Oklahoma, prior to the incident on May 13, 2021.

Muhammad had stood trial twice before for the events of that day. Following his first trial in 2024, a jury convicted him of resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the gun charge. The jury acquitted him of assault on the police.  Another jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the firearm charge in 2025. 

A verdict requires a unanimous verdict for acquittal or conviction. A hung jury results in retrial unless the Commonwealth elects to enter a nolle prosequi, that is, ask the Court’s permission to withdraw the charges. Considering the strong evidence outlined above, the Commonwealth elected to submit the case once more to a jury. Muhammad chose to exercise his constitutional right to represent himself.

“Every year in Harrisburg we see cases where felons in unlawful possession of firearms use those guns to hurt or kill residents of this city,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sarah Phillips.  “That’s one reason we take these gun cases very seriously.”

In this case, the lead investigator for the Pennsylvania State Police was Trooper First Class Brendan Kelly. The prosecutors were Chief Deputy District Attorney Phillips and Senior Deputy District Attorney J. Scott Robinette. Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Katherine E. McShane presided at the 2026 trial. Judge McShane scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2026, and ordered that a presentence report be prepared.