Man sentenced to prison for firearm possession, unlawful re-entry

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Kenneth Lewellyn Flowers to 24 months in prison on charges of re-entry of a deported alien and unlawful possession of a firearm. Flowers is to be deported once released. In 2012, a jury acquitted Flowers of murder charges in a fatal 2010 shooting at a Salt Lake City apartment.

Flowers said he shot Cisco M. Cross, 45, in self-defense.

Flowers said he had been smoking crack in his apartment over a 24-hour period when a strange man came to his door; after a brief argument, Flowers shot Cross after he saw him reach for what appeared to be a weapon. Prosecutors said the weapon turned out to be a BB gun.

Before the shooting, Flowers had twice been deported from the United States to Belize, where according to media reports he was a prominent street gang member.

brooke@sltrib.com