A St. Paul man has been found guilty by a federal jury for unlawfully possessing a firearm, according to the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. The defendant, 47-year-old Noel Debra Hall, was convicted of brandishing the weapon while under the influence of alcohol in a St. Paul apartment last summer. The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that law enforcement was drawn into a hours-long standoff before arresting Hall, whose history as a convicted felon barred him from firearm possession.
Based on trial evidence, the incident occurred early in the morning of July 7, 2024. Responding officers from the St. Paul Police Department encountered Hall barricaded in the apartment, which led to the engagement of the SWAT team and deployment of a drone to bring the standoff to a conclusion. Officers discovered a semi-automatic pistol and a loaded magazine hidden within a box spring inside Hall's apartment. This conviction marks another chapter in Hall’s fraught engagement with the law; he was previously convicted in 2019 for possession with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl while on supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick underscored the gravity of Hall’s actions. "As a convicted felon, Noel Hall was prohibited from possessing a firearm, and his conduct underlying his conviction in this case shows precisely why that was—he was a clear and present danger to the public," said Kirkpatrick. According to the Justice Department's announcement, Hall's conviction is expected to uphold community safety as a result.
The investigation into Hall's activities was carried out collaboratively by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the St. Paul Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael B. Coburn was credited with trying the case. While this conviction closes one case, the effort to maintain peace and justice in St. Paul continues on, a testament to the ongoing work of law enforcement in the face of danger to the community.
