MEMPHIS, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A Clarksville man was convicted in Memphis by a federal jury on kidnapping and stalking charges after holding his ex-girlfriend, her daughter and her current boyfriend at gunpoint in 2018.

Keaton L. Walls, 37, was found guilty on four counts of kidnapping, one count of interstate stalking and one count of using a firearm to commit interstate stalking Friday after a six-day trial in Memphis.

The verdict was announced by U.S. District Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. in a news release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

2016 shooting

On Nov. 23, 2016, Walls drove from Clarksville to a home in DeSoto County, Mississippi, where his ex-girlfriend lived with several family members, according the news release.

Walls was armed with a Norinco AK-47 style automatic rifle, and fired at least 10 shots from the front yard into the home’s living room window. Four of the seven people in the house were wounded, and one lost his leg, the news release said.

While the victims were not able to see the shooter, and Walls fled before law enforcement arrived, six spent shell casings were recovered by DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department personnel.

2018 kidnapping

Then on April 20, 2018, Walls kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, her 5-year-old daughter and boyfriend at gunpoint from their apartment in Memphis, the news release said.

Walls forced his ex-girlfriend to drive them in her car to a nearby location, where Walls’ vehicle was parked. He retrieved an AK-47 style rifle from his car, put it in the trunk of the victim’s car and ordered her to drive back to her apartment, according to the news release.

When they returned, Walls forced his ex-girlfriend to lock her daughter in the apartment by herself.

He then ordered her to drive to a house in Marshall County, Mississippi, where Walls’ relative lived. During the drive, Walls threatened to kill both victims, and he hit them with one of his two pistols, the news release said.

When they arrived, Walls forced both victims out of the car, onto their knees, and fired three gunshots past their heads. After arguing with several family members about whether he should release them, Walls directed both victims back into the car, the news release said.

He forced the woman to drive the car to Shelby County, Tennessee, where officers were able to stop the car, arrest Walls, and rescue both victims.

Forensic ballistics testing showed that the AK-47 style rifle in the car’s trunk matched the spent shell casings recovered from the 2016 shooting in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

“The prosecution of individuals who commit violent crimes is a priority for the United States Department of Justice,” Murphy said in the news release.

“Public safety is a paramount concern for our office, and we will aggressively prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes that endanger the safety of the people living throughout West Tennessee.”

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8, and Walls faces up to life in federal prison, the news release said.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Memphis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Arvin and Murre Foster are prosecuting the case.