This is a press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
One of the individuals identified in a July 2025 shootout at a crowded Savannah mall has pled guilty to illegally possessing a machine gun.
Aujawan T. Hymon, 21, of Savannah, faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and substantial financial penalties after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun, said Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This prosecution symbolizes our continued resolve to remove illegal firearms from our communities, and hold accountable those who would threaten the safety of law-abiding citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to make our streets and businesses safer.”
As described in court and in the guilty plea, Savannah Police officers responded July 2, 2025, to the Oglethorpe Mall after gunshots were reported. Three people were wounded during the exchanges of gunfire, including Hymon, who was seen by witnesses and on surveillance cameras carrying a pistol. The footage also showed Hymon discarding a gun in a mall trash can where investigators later recovered the weapon, a .40-caliber Glock Model 22. Hymon did not appear to have fired the gun.
Technicians from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined the pistol was equipped with a functional “Glock switch,” an illegal device that converted the weapon to fully automatic fire. In his plea, Hymon admitted possessing the weapon and knowing that it had been converted into a machine gun. Hymon also face state charges in the shooting, along with other defendants who were not determined to have violated federal law.
Hymon remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker will schedule sentencing upon completion of a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“The guilty plea in this case underscores our unwavering commitment to removing illegal firearms from our communities,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistance Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the ATF. “Together with our local and state partners, we are dedicated to ensuring public safety and holding accountable those who endanger it.”
The case is being investigated by the Savannah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.
