3 charged with trafficking guns connected to KC Chiefs parade shooting
Three men have been charged with illegal firearms trafficking in connection to the investigation surrounding the mass shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade last month in Missouri that took the life of a local radio personality.
Fedo Antonia Manning, 22, was charged in a 12-count criminal complaint, while 21-year-old Ronnel Dewayne Williams, Jr. and 19-year-old Chaelyn Hendrick Groves were charged in a four-count criminal complaint.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri announced on Wednesday that the charges stemmed from weapons recovered at the Kansas City mass shooting on Feb. 14 west of Union Station, in which one person was killed and over 20 were wounded.
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One of the guns recovered from the scene was an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223-caliber pistol, which had been bought by Manning in 2022. Manning is accused of illegally trafficking dozens of firearms.
Another firearm recovered from the scene was a Stag Arms 300-caliber pistol that was purchased by Williams in 2023, which he allegedly bought for Groves, who had been too young to legally purchase it. This is known as a straw purchase and is a federal crime.
The attorney's office made it clear that none of the three men were accused of directly taking part in the mass shooting.
"Stopping straw buyers and preventing illegal firearms trafficking is our first line of defense against gun violence," said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore.
"At least two of the firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station were illegally purchased or trafficked. We work diligently with our law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals by investigating and prosecuting those who illegally buy and sell dangerous weapons."
On Valentine's Day, during a large rally held to celebrate the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, a mass shooting ensued near the end of the event.
The sole fatality in the shooting was 43-year-old Elizabeth Galvan, also known as Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a mother of two and a radio station disc jockey for local outlet KKFI 90.1 FM.
Shortly after the shooting, the Kansas City Police Department detained two juvenile individuals for their alleged involvement in the shooting and that the event was not considered terrorism-related.
Kansas City Chief of Police Stacey Graves said the response to the shooting by both law enforcement and private citizens "was exemplary."
"Those in attendance also responded, helped one another and even physically stopped a person believed to be involved in the incident," said Graves.
"I want to thank the people who acted bravely yesterday alongside law enforcement. Your selfless act did not go unnoticed. Thank you, Kansas City. I am angered by what occurred in our city yesterday, but I am thankful for the response."
In a press conference hours after the shooting, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said, "Many people have been touched by this incident" and called for prayers for the victims.
"Today was tragic for everyone who was part of it," said Lucas. "We became part of a statistic of too many Americans: those who have experienced or been part of or connected to a mass shooting."
"I continue to commend our police officers, our firefighters, and others who were there to respond instantly. But we also need to figure out a way to make sure that things like this stop happening in our country."
