United States v. Samuel James Weaver ( 2024 )

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PUBLICATION
File Name: 24a0421n.06
Case No. 23-5488
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT
FILED
Oct 24, 2024
) KELLY L. STEPHENS, Clerk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
)
Plaintiff-Appellee, )
) ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED
v. )
STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR
)
) THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF
SAMUEL JAMES WEAVER, TENNESSEE
)
Defendant-Appellant. ) OPINION
Before: MOORE, THAPAR, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges.
THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Samuel Weaver fired a gun at Chattanooga police officers as
they executed a search warrant at his house. As a result of the search, Weaver pleaded guilty to
several drug-trafficking and firearms offenses. He appeals various aspects of his sentence.
Because his claims lack merit, we affirm.
I.
Just before dawn, law enforcement officers arrived at Samuel Weaver’s house to execute
a search warrant. The officers drove up in three vehicles: an armored SWAT-team truck, a police
van, and a marked patrol car. As they approached Weaver’s residence, officers activated their
flashing blue lights and parked about 30 feet from the house. Two of the vehicles also turned on
their sirens for about 10 to 12 seconds to make their presence known. All the while, the flashing
blue lights on multiple vehicles lit up the Chattanooga dawn.
No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
After the police turned off their sirens, they repeatedly announced themselves over their
PA system: “Chattanooga Police Department, search warrant.” And to make sure that Weaver
heard them, the officers used a hostage-negotiation speaker “capable of being heard through a wall
of a residence.” R. 76, Pg. ID 541. While one team of officers gave the announcement (for a total
of 20 to 25 seconds), another group of officers approached the house. As the officers attempted to
enter, they threw a flash-bang grenade inside a window to provide cover.
At some point during this mayhem, Weaver woke up. He grabbed a gun and “fired a
gunshot from within the house, which penetrated the front door and lodged in the doorframe.” R.
44, Pg. ID 129. Weaver then discarded the gun and attempted to flee through his back door. But
he ran into another set of officers in the backyard and returned inside, where he surrendered.
After apprehending Weaver, officers searched his home. They found three loaded guns,
19.3 grams of pure methamphetamine, 52.88 grams of heroin, 117.68 grams of fentanyl, and 154
grams of crack cocaine. Weaver admitted that the firearms and drugs belonged to him. He also
confessed that he shot “from inside the residence as the officers were attempting to enter,” although
he maintained that he thought he was being robbed. R. 44, Pg. ID 130; R. 76, Pg. ID 552. Weaver
subsequently pleaded guilty to seven counts, including five drug crimes and two firearms crimes.
At sentencing, Weaver received a series of enhancements. First, because Weaver had
several prior convictions, he qualified as an armed career criminal under 18 U.S.C § 924(e).
Second, because Weaver had a prior federal drug trafficking conviction, he received an enhanced
penalty range for the drug trafficking offenses. See 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B) and (b)(1)(C). And
third, because Weaver shot at the police, he received a six-level sentencing enhancement under
U.S.S.G. § 3A1.2(c)(1) for assaulting an officer.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
Weaver objected both to his classification as an armed career criminal and the application
of the six-level enhancement for assaulting a law enforcement officer. Weaver argued that his
predicate convictions didn’t qualify him as an armed career criminal. And he contended that the
six-level enhancement shouldn’t apply because he didn’t know that the men at his door were police
officers.
The district court denied Weaver’s objection to his classification as an armed career
criminal. It also denied Weaver’s objection to the six-level enhancement after hearing testimony
from the officer in charge of executing the search warrant. After ruling on the objections, the court
sentenced Weaver to 295 months in prison, which was at the bottom of the Guidelines range.
Weaver appealed to this court. While his appeal was pending, the Supreme Court decided
Wooden v. United States, 595 U.S. 360 (2022). Because Wooden held that multiple convictions
arising out of “a single criminal episode . . . can count only once under” the Armed Career Criminal
Act, id. at 363, Weaver likely no longer counted as an armed career criminal. This court remanded
for resentencing.
At resentencing, the parties agreed that Weaver could no longer be classified as an armed
career criminal. Thus, the court sentenced him to 270 months, which was at the bottom of his new
Guidelines range.
Weaver timely appealed.
II.
Weaver first argues that the district court incorrectly applied the six-level sentencing
enhancement for assaulting a law enforcement officer.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
A.
We start with the standard of review. Weaver argues that de novo review should apply.
On the other hand, the government argues that Weaver waived, invited error, or at the very least
forfeited any challenge to the § 3A1.2(c)(1) enhancement by not objecting at his resentencing.
This court, for its part, has noted that, while “the standard of review we apply to a district court’s
application of the Guidelines to the facts is ‘somewhat murky,’” “our review of the application of
U.S.S.G. §3A1.2(c)(1) to the facts of a given case should be deferential.” United States v. Pruitt,
999 F.3d 1017, 1020 (6th Cir. 2021) (quoting United States v. Abdalla, 972 F.3d 838, 850 (6th Cir.
2020)). But we need not rule on this issue because Weaver’s claims lack merit under any standard
of review.
B.
Turning to the merits, Weaver challenges: (1) whether the district court rightly concluded
that Weaver “assaulted” the police officers when he fired the gun at them; (2) whether the district
court applied the correct standard in assessing Weaver’s knowledge that the men at his door were
police; and (3) whether the district court rightly concluded that Weaver knew or had reasonable
cause to believe that the entrants were police. We address each argument in turn.
(1)
The district court was right to find that Weaver “assaulted” law enforcement officers when
he shot at them and thus deserved an enhancement under § 3A1.2(c)(1). This Guideline provides
for a six-level increase in a defendant’s offense level “[i]f, in a manner creating a substantial risk
of serious bodily injury,” the defendant “knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that a
person was a law enforcement officer, assaulted such officer during the course of the offense or
immediate flight therefrom.” U.S.S.G. § 3A1.2(c)(1).
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
Determining whether Weaver assaulted law enforcement officers requires defining the
word “assault.” We look “to the common-law meaning of criminal assault to interpret the official-
victim enhancement’s assault element.” Pruitt, 999 F.3d at 1023. The common law recognizes
two forms of criminal assault: “(1) an attempted battery, i.e., an intentional attempt to injure
another person; and (2) an act which is intended to, and reasonably does, cause the victim to fear
immediate bodily harm.” Id. (citation and emphasis omitted). Weaver’s gunshot falls under the
first category.
Weaver’s conduct qualifies as attempted-battery assault. The district court found that
Weaver “fired a round at the officers.” R. 76, Pg. ID 564. The officers were lucky that they didn’t
get hit, as the bullet “penetrated the front door and lodged in the doorframe” right next to them.
R. 44, Pg. ID 129; R. 76, Pg. ID 543. Weaver’s conduct thus amounts to an “intentional attempt
to injure another person.” Pruitt, 999 F.3d at 1023.1 Indeed, shooting at someone is a
quintessential example of assault. See 2 Wayne R. LaFave, Substantive Criminal Law, § 16.3(a)
(3d ed. 2023). And courts have repeatedly agreed. See, e.g., United States v. Bass, 315 F.3d 561,
566 (6th Cir. 2002) (finding an assault where the defendant was “shooting at two men” (citing
State v. Adams, 45 S.W.3d 46, 56 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2001))). Thus, the district court didn’t err
when it found that Weaver committed an assault.
1
Weaver faults the district court for not expressly finding that Weaver “had the specific intent to actually shoot or
harm an officer.” Appellant Br. 23. True, attempted-battery assault does require “an intent to injure.” 2 Wayne R.
LaFave, Substantive Criminal Law, § 16.3(a) (3d ed. 2023). But it was not necessary for the court
to explicitly state what was implicit in its finding that Weaver intended to shoot at the officers. Because our review
of the application of the Guidelines to the facts is “deferential,” Pruitt, 999 F.3d at 1020, the district court’s failure to
spell out its logic from point A (Weaver shot at the officers) to point B (he intended to harm the officers) is not
reversible error.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
Weaver argues our decision in Pruitt mandates that we remand. He is incorrect. In Pruitt,
the defendant committed two possible assaults: attempting to fire his gun at the officer, and
intentionally causing the officer to fear imminent bodily injury by reaching for the officer’s
firearm. 999 F.3d at 1024. The district court applied the six-level enhancement based on a vague
reference to the defendant’s “assaultive behavior.” Id. at 1025. But the district court in Pruitt
failed to determine numerous prerequisites for applying the § 3A1.2(c)(1) enhancement: Did the
defendant attempt to fire his gun? Did the defendant’s attempt to reach for the officer’s gun cause
a fear of bodily harm, or did the defendant’s attempt to shoot his own gun cause this fear? Which
theory of assault did the court ultimately rely on? And what was the defendant’s intent during this
whole encounter? See id. at 1024–25. In short, the Pruitt court did “not know what conduct the
district court determined constituted the assault element of the enhancement and why the district
court found that conduct met the definition of assault.” Id. at 1025. There was too much
uncertainty about what conduct the district court found to be an assault.
Here, by contrast, it is easier to discern what conduct the district court determined
constituted the assault: Weaver shot at the officers. The court found that when Weaver “realized
there were police officers there and they were trying to make entry into his home,” he “retrieved a
loaded weapon” and “fired a round at the officers.” R. 76, Pg. ID 564. Unlike in Pruitt, there is
no dispute here as to the facts giving rise to the assault. Whether Weaver knew the men were
officers is irrelevant to whether an assault occurred. Thus, we find no reversible error in the district
court’s finding that Weaver “assaulted” law enforcement officials under § 3A1.2(c)(1).
(2)
Next, Weaver argues that the district court used the wrong standard for determining
whether he knew (or had reason to know) that law enforcement were at his doorstep.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
See § 3A1.2(c)(1) (defendant must “know[] or hav[e] reasonable cause to believe” that a person is
a law enforcement officer). Weaver argues that the district court erroneously applied an objective
rather than subjective test to assess his knowledge.2
Weaver is incorrect. The district court concluded that Weaver “realized there were police
officers” at his door. R. 76, Pg. ID 564. This was the appropriate way to evaluate Weaver’s
knowledge: The district court determined that Weaver knew that the men at his door were law
enforcement officers.
Weaver attempts to use one out-of-context statement at the sentencing hearing to argue that
the district court’s subjective inquiry was objective. Weaver points to the judge’s statement that
“a person in reasonably good health should have been aware that police officers were outside.”
R. 76, Pg. ID 563–64. To be sure, viewed in isolation, this statement looks objective. But in
reality, the judge made such a statement in response to Weaver’s claim that he didn’t hear the
police arrive. The judge didn’t find Weaver credible because Weaver was not “comatose when
these events took place,” nor did he have “a hearing impairment that would have made him less
likely to hear and comprehend and understand what an average person would hear, comprehend,
and understand.” R. 76, Pg. ID 564. In other words, any reasonable person in Weaver’s shoes (or
bed) would’ve recognized that law enforcement officials were at his door. It simply wasn’t
credible for Weaver to claim otherwise.
2
At first glance, Section 3A1.2(c)(1) seems to have both objective and subjective components. Whether a defendant
“know[s]” someone is a law enforcement official is a subjective inquiry. But whether a defendant has “reasonable
cause to believe” someone is an officer seems like an objective test. After all, it would hinge on whether a reasonable
person in the defendant’s shoes would know he shot at law enforcement. But even under Weaver’s theory that §
3A1.2(c) is purely subjective we affirm.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
Weaver also incorrectly contends that the court reversed the burden of proof and required
Weaver to show that he wasn’t aware of the law enforcement presence. Weaver points to the
judge’s comments about what an average person would’ve heard and interprets these comments to
mean that the judge required Weaver to prove he lacked awareness. But again, the judge only
made these observations in response to Weaver’s claim that he didn’t hear the police. And the
government did bear—and meet—its burden. At sentencing, it called the commander of the unit
that conducted the raid to testify to the various signs of the law enforcement presence that morning.
After hearing this testimony and Weaver’s version of events, the judge found that the government
established Weaver’s knowledge and did not believe Weaver’s claims to the contrary. The district
court thus used the right standard to evaluate Weaver’s knowledge.
(3)
Third, Weaver claims not to have known that the men at his door were law enforcement
officers. But ample evidence supports the district court’s finding that Weaver knew or had
reasonable cause to know that the men at his door were police. The officers arrived in marked
police vehicles, pulling to within 25 to 30 feet of Weaver’s residence and no more than 35 to 40
feet—about the length of a school bus—from his bedroom. Each vehicle activated its blue lights
as it pulled up to the residence. Further, two of the three vehicles turned on their sirens for 10 to
12 seconds. Finally, officers announced their presence through a PA system that was “capable of
being heard through a wall of a residence.” R. 76, Pg. ID 541–42. In fact, at the sentencing
hearing, the commander of the raid worried that he activated the sirens and started the PA system
too early, thus exposing the officers for an unnecessary amount of time. In short, the district court
had abundant reasons to find that Weaver knew or had reasonable cause to know that police
officers were at his door.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
Weaver, however, stresses that the whole interaction, from police arrival to gunshot, lasted
under two minutes. He emphasizes that he was disoriented after suddenly waking up to loud
noises, darkness, and a flash-bang grenade. But we find no reversible error in the district court’s
determination that two minutes is plenty of time to realize that flashing blue lights, sirens, and PA
announcements of a police presence are, indeed, a police presence. And the district court was right
to find that Weaver had time enough to orient himself.
Weaver also asks us to credit his repeated denials of having any knowledge of a police
presence in light of his truthful admissions to the police about owning the firearms and drugs found
during the search. This argument asks us to second-guess the district court’s assessment of
Weaver’s credibility. But we won’t do that. Determining credibility is “the bread and butter of
district courts.” United States v. Clayborn, 795 F. App’x 450, 451 (6th Cir. 2020). It’s “basically
unassailable on appeal.” United States v. Hills, 27 F.4th 1155, 1196 (6th Cir. 2022) (quotation
omitted).
Precedent confirms what the evidence tells us. This court has determined that defendants
knew or should’ve known of a law enforcement presence with similar signs of police to the lights,
sirens, and PA announcements here. For example, this court found “ample evidence” that a
defendant should’ve known that he was pursued by police where “two unmarked law enforcement
vehicles had blue strobe lights that were activated.” United States v. Woods, 604 F.3d 286, 293
(6th Cir. 2010). And this court reached the same conclusion when an officer wearing a police
uniform stepped out of an unmarked car with a flashing blue light and announced he was police.
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No. 23-5488, United States v. Weaver
United States v. Hayes, 135 F.3d 435, 439 (6th Cir. 1998). So the district court did not err when
it applied the six-level enhancement.3
***
We affirm.
3
Weaver raised one additional challenge here that he didn’t raise below: that the district court shouldn’t have applied
a penalty enhancement for a previous conviction for a “serious drug felony” under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B). But
Weaver now concedes that Brown v. United States forecloses his argument. See 602 U.S. 101, 119 (2024); Reply Br.
at 29.
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