United States of America v. James Thomas Hurt

Dayton, Ohio, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm.

James Thomas Hurt, 25, of Dayton, possessed a machinegun during the shooting at the bus hub during the morning of Sept. 26, 2025. Surveillance video allegedly showed Hurt being assaulted by other individuals before running and returning fire.

Hurt allegedly discarded his firearm in a trash can in a parking garage near East Fourth Street. Hurt later returned to the trash can, allegedly to locate his weapon, but it had already been seized by Dayton police officers.

Officers subsequently discovered additional evidence, including ammunition and Glock switches, or machinegun conversion devices, buried in an area near the RTA bus hub where Hurt was observed on surveillance digging shortly after the shooting.

At the time of his arrest yesterday evening, Hurt was allegedly in possession of 10 suspected machinegun conversion devices, two of which were swift links made for AR-type firearms.

Hurt is charged with illegal possession of a machinegun, a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jorge Rosendo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.