(NEW YORK) — Twelve people allegedly brandished guns and at least six fired shots during the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally, according to federal prosecutors.
One person was killed and 22 were hurt when gunfire erupted following a dispute at the Super Bowl victory rally on Feb. 14. About one million paradegoers were expected at the celebration, and the shooting sent terrified Chiefs fans running for safety.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that three men have been charged with federal firearms trafficking offenses stemming from weapons recovered from the scene.
Criminal complaints unsealed Wednesday charge Fedo Manning, 22; Ronnel Williams, 21; and Chaelyn Groves, 19, with a variety of illegal trafficking and straw purchase offenses — though none of them are alleged to have been among the six people who fired shots.
Manning was allegedly involved in illegally trafficking dozens of firearms, including a loaded AM-15 pistol recovered from the scene of the shooting that was found with a backpack next to two AR-15-style firearms, according to charging documents.
A second .300-caliber pistol recovered from the scene was allegedly purchased by Williams at a gun show last year and then given to Groves, who was too young to legally buy the gun, prosecutors said.
“Stopping straw buyers and preventing illegal firearms trafficking is our first line of defense against gun violence,” Teresa Moore, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, 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.”
“These arrests serve as a notice to those who think they can illegally traffic guns into our communities or straw purchase firearms,” added Bernard Hansen, ATF Kansas City Field Division special agent in charge.
Two men who fired shots during the chaos, Dominic Miller and Lyndell Mays, were arrested last month on charges including second-degree murder. They have yet to enter pleas.
Mays told police “that he drew a gun first, in a crowd of people with kids, picked one of the individuals in the group [he was arguing with] at random, and started shooting, all because they said, ‘I’m going to get you’ and to him, that meant, ‘I’m going to kill you,'” the probable cause affidavit said.
Miller said after he heard gunshots and saw a man shooting at him, he returned fire, according to the probable cause statement.
When police asked Mays why he “advanced” on the other group in the first place, Mays “replied, ‘Stupid, man. Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn’t have done that. Just being stupid,'” the probable cause affidavit said.
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