Ex-cop convicted of selling guns to felons

Kevin Lumpkin, 29, was a North Randall police officer when he sold guns to felons. (Photo: FBI)

After a week-long trial, a jury convicted a former police officer in the Cleveland area to selling guns to felons, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Kevin R. Lumpkin, 29, of North Olmsted, was convicted of selling a Hi-Point .45-caliber rifle and a Ruger .380 pistol on different occasions to known felons between 2011 and 2013. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 29.

Federal agents arrested him in July on charges of selling guns to known felons and shooting a hole in their wall while in uniform. According to the criminal complaint, two felons who cooperated with local and federal law enforcement said they bought guns from him when he was a North Randall policeman.

Investigators said Lumpkin installed a security camera at the felons’ home in 2012 after one of them was shot when robbers broke into their house. At that time, Lumpkin also supplied them with a catalog of firearms to browse.

However, in that same year a dispute with the felons led to Lumpkin, while in uniform, firing a round from his service weapon inside the home, the complaint says. The round struck a wall in the basement and was never repaired.

In 2013, Cleveland police responded to a domestic violence dispute in which they searched the home and recovered several firearms and boxes to firearms. Authorities traced serial numbers on the guns and learned that Lumpkin was the original buyer.

A year later police in the neighboring town of Solon recovered a handgun with a serial number matching one of the boxes found at the home. Officers took the gun off of a suspect who had an outstanding warrant.

Lumpkin told investigators that he had known the two felons since 2006 and would play video games in their basement, but had not talked to them in three years. He also admitted to buying firearms that were recovered at their home but believed the guns had been stolen from him even though he never reported them stolen or missing.