Investigation underway after loaded handgun found in Mike Epps' backpack at Indy airport

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis-born actor and comedian Mike Epps is being investigated after a loaded handgun was found in his backpack by TSA agents over the weekend.

Epps was in town Saturday for his Straight Jokers! No Chaser Comedy Tour at Gainbridge Fieldhouse along with Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Earthquake and D.C. Young Fly.

According to the firearms investigation report obtained by WRTV, there was a .38 Special Airweight revolver in the backpack. It was loaded with four rounds of Hornaday .38 Special ammo.

None of the ammunition was in the chamber, according to the report.

READ MORE | 68 guns were stopped at Indianapolis Airport checkpoints in 2022, TSA says

WRTV has reached out to the representatives for Epps.

The Marion County Prosecutor's Office tells WRTV Investigates they are still reviewing Epps' case.

In 2022, the MCPO filed criminal charges against six individuals traveling with a handgun because they had other legal violations.

Of the six, two did not have the right to possess a weapon. One had a battery conviction on his record and the other had an active protective order at the time.

The uniform charge is “Entering a Controlled Access Area of the Airport While Possessing a Firearm.”

At this time, the prosecutor's office has not been able to confirm how many of the 68 gun cases reported at the airport in 2022 were reviewed by them.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says 10 firearms were confiscated at Indianapolis International Airport (IND) checkpoints during the first 25 days of 2023.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter.

For more TSA information on how to travel with firearms, click here.

WRTV anchor Rafael Sanchez and digital reporter Michelle Kaufman contributed to this story.