KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three Kansas City, Missouri, men have been charged for their role in illegal firearms trafficking and the straw purchasing of firearms, connected to the mass shooting following the Chiefs Super Bowl parade rally that killed KKFI DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan and injured more than 20 others.
Teresa Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced the charges Wednesday.
LINK | Complete KSHB 41 coverage of parade shooting
"Stopping straw buyers and preventing illegal firearms trafficking is our first line of defense against gun violence," Moore said in a statement. "At least two of the firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station were illegally purchased or trafficked."
Moore said her office works with law enforcement partners "to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals by investigating and prosecuting those who illegally buy and sell dangerous weapons."
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas released a statement Wednesday afternoon reacting to the charges.
"Purchasing high-capacity firearms at shops outside of city limits and at gun shows, the defendants acting as straw purchasers showed disregard for our gun laws and common sense, transferring lethal weapons to underage minors and purchasing and transferring guns that were recovered at the Chiefs parade, at a murder scene in mid-Missouri, in connection with armed robberies and in a stolen vehicle," Lucas said in the statement. "The defendants' actions placed thousands of Kansas Citians at risk at the Chiefs Super Bowl celebration and have caused harm to communities throughout Missouri, as their trafficking scheme has placed dozens of firearms, like AR-15s, on the streets of our city and others."
Charges against Fedo Antonia Manning
Fedo Antonia Manning, 22, was charged in federal court with one count conspiracy to traffic firearms, one count engaging in firearm sales without a license and 10 counts of making a false statement on a Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Form 4473.
Court documents say that Manning was involved in a group of individuals who agreed to transport firearms between May 24, 2022 and April 20, 2023. Manning was not a licensed firearms dealer in that time frame, per documents.
Manning allegedly purchased dozens of firearms claiming he was the intended buyer, with the intention to distribute the firearms to other individuals.
"These statements and representations by the defendant were completely false, as the defendant well knew," court documents said.
Fifteen firearms purchased by Manning were reportedly found by police officers in the possession of other individuals, including some who were not legally allowed to possess a firearm. Seven firearms purchased by Manning were found by officers during investigations of crimes.
Investigators claim that on Aug. 7, 2022, Manning purchased two AM-15 pistols from Frontier Justice in Lee's Summit.
One of the AM-15 pistols was allegedly recovered by officers at the scene of the Chiefs parade rally shooting. The pistol was found in the "fire" position holding 26 of 30 possible live rounds, meaning it is possible that four shots were fired from the weapon.
RELATED | U.S.A. v. Manning charging documents
Charges against Ronnel Williams Jr. and Chaelyn Groves
21-year-old Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr. and 19-year-old Chaelyn Hendrick Groves were both charged in federal court with conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms, aiding and abetting making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm and were separately charged for making a false statement to a federal agent.
Both men were reportedly looking for receivers to purchase weapons at a gun show at the KCI Expo Center on Nov. 25, 2023. Groves, who is under the age of 21 and cannot purchase a firearm, gave Williams money to purchase a Stag Arms 300-caliber pistol from The Ammo Box during the gun show, court documents say.
The Stag Arms pistol was recovered at the scene of the parade shooting.
Williams told investigators that the pistol was stolen from him, resulting in the charge filed against Williams for making a false statement to a federal agent.
Groves faces the same charge for telling an ATF officer that he was not Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, and providing false identity information, per charging documents.
Both men later reportedly admitted to investigators that they had lied.
RELATED | U.S.A. v. Williams, Groves
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department investigated the cases against all three men and are being prosecuted by U.S. attorneys.
“These cases underscore the importance of enforcing federal firearms laws,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement. At least two of the firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station were illegally purchased or trafficked.”
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