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No. 15-4029
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of North Carolina, at Charlotte. Max O. Cogburn, Jr.,
District Judge. (3:13-cr-00253-MOC-1)
Argued:
Decided:
Before TRAXLER, Chief Judge, and AGEE and WYNN, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Mario Marquise Taylor was charged with being a felon in
possession of a firearm after officers found a gun near a car in
which
Taylor
Taylors.
obtained
was
He
passenger.
moved
during
the
to
The
suppress
encounter
with
DNA
on
evidence
police,
the
gun
of
his
arguing
matched
identity
that
the
I. Background
Officers Aaron Skipper and Todd Watson were patrolling on
their motorcycles on November 26, 2012, investigating an area of
Charlotte,
reported.
North
Carolina,
where
burglary
was
recently
J.A. 120.
approximately
35
to
50
miles
per
hour.
The
car
then
J.A. 450.
As
the
officers
approached,
they
saw
that
Taylors
passenger side window was rolled down and his hand was extended
outside the car, despite the very cool temperature.
J.A. 97.
They drove past the Crown Victoria and parked in a field on the
opposite side of the street, 60 to 75 feet away.
From there,
the officers watched Fields get out of the car and knock on the
front door of the house adjoining the driveway where he had
parked.
After observing the three men sit in the car for about 45
seconds without moving, the officers pulled their motorcycles
into a gravel area beside the driveway, about 20 feet behind the
rear left of the Crown Victoria.
ID, and Fields handed over his ID while Taylor and Randolph gave
their names.
Officer
Watson
received
call
from
dispatch
that a bus passenger had seen a firearm lying in the grass near
where two motorcycle officers were talking with some men.
3
Upon
J.A. 548.
Taylor unsuccessfully
jury
returned
guilty
verdict,
and
Following a trial,
the
district
court
II. Discussion
A.
Taylors primary argument on appeal is that the district
court erred in denying the motion to suppress evidence of his
identity.
review
factual
findings
underlying
the
denial
of
United States v. Hill, 776 F.3d 243, 247 (4th Cir. 2015).
evidence
in
the
light
most
favorable
to
the
government.
United States v. Green, 740 F.3d 275, 277 (4th Cir. 2014).
We
the
because
of
witnesses
and
the
of
district
weighing
courts
their
role
of
credibility.
United States v. Hilton, 701 F.3d 959, 964 (4th Cir. 2012).
Under the Fourth Amendment, an investigatory detention of
a
citizen
by
an
officer
must
be
supported
by
reasonable
without
deciding
that
the
encounter
Here, we
constituted
an
investigatory detention - or, in other words, a seizure and we move directly to the issue of whether the officers acted
on a reasonable suspicion.
In
assessing
reasonable
suspicion,
we
look
at
the
266, 273 (2002) (quoting United States v. Cortez, 449 U.S. 411,
417-18 (1981)).
hunch is insufficient.
246
(4th
Cir.
2011).
Still,
the
likelihood
of
criminal
activity need not rise to the level required for probable cause,
and it falls considerably short of satisfying a preponderance of
the evidence standard.
Factors to be
the officers saw the men avert their eyes, away both from the
officers and from where on the road the officers testified a
normal
person
would
have
been
looking
while
driving.
This
that
point,
the
officers
may
yet
have
lacked
reasonable
officer
could
view
that
manner
J.A. 450.
of
driving
as
An
an
B.
Taylor
raises
two
additional
issues
on
appeal
that
we
government
had
explained
that
Ms.
Robinson
had
At trial,
a
meek
lost
look
in
her
eyes,
and
when
asked
follow-up
question
about
guns,
could
not
explain
why
court
consequently
accepted
found
that
this
race-neutral
that
Taylor
had
and
would
not
J.A. 335-36.
The
explanation
and
not
established
Cir.
1995).
discriminatory
intent
credibility,
district
Batson,
courts
Because
findings
largely
will
476
U.S.
decision
at
on
turn
98
great
the
on
n.21,
issue
of
evaluation
we
deference
accord
on
of
the
appeal.
that
deference
courts
courts
rationale.
decision
own
findings
leads
to
us
deny
to
find
Taylors
confirmed
the
no
error
Batson
in
the
challenge.
governments
stated
contact
is
J.A. 338.
big
thing
that
the
insists
that
the
district
court
failed
governments
J.A. 339-40.
to
conduct
338.
Any
potential
deficiency
in
the
district
courts
an
firearm.
instruction
as
to
constructive
possession
of
the
See United
find
discretion
by
that
the
giving
district
the
court
constructive
did
not
possession
abuse
its
instruction.
Given
the possibility that someone other than Taylor threw the gun
from the car, Taylors DNA and position in the car could suggest
he nonetheless had control over the gun.
Blue,
957
constructive
showing
F.2d
106,
107
possession,
ownership,
(4th
the
dominion,
Cir.
1992)
government
or
9
control
([T]o
must
over
establish
produce
the
evidence
contraband
be harmless.
harmless
error).
Taylor
provides
no
reason
to
See Dawson v.
United States, 702 F.3d 347, 350 (6th Cir. 2012) (As in McCoy,
the jury in Dawsons trial is unlikely to have been confused by
the instruction.).
III.
For the foregoing reasons, the district courts judgment is
AFFIRMED.
10