Three men face federal firearm charges in connection to the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade that left one person dead and 22 others injured.
Fedo Antonia Manning, 22, was charged in a 12-count criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri said.
Ronnel Dewayne Williams, Jr., 21, and Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, 19, were charged in a four-count federal criminal complaint.
The defendants are not accused of opening fire on Feb. 14 in downtown Kansas City, next to Union Station, where the parade had ended and the rally was held. Two juveniles were arrested by police and charged last month in a Jackson County court on gun-related and resisting arrest offenses.
Federal authorities, instead, said Manning, Williams and Groves were involved in illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchases of firearms.
A straw purchase, as defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, involves someone who purchases a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one or for someone who does not want their name associated with the transaction.
"At least two of the firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station were illegally purchased or trafficked," U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement. "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."
Twelve people brandished firearms and at least six people fired their weapons during the shooting, according to court documents. Authorities believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute among several people.
Police recovered several firearms, spent shell casings, and other items from the scene, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
One of the firearms found at the scene was a loaded pistol. It was in a backpack next to two AR-15-style firearms and backpacks, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. An affidavit alleges that the pistol was purchased by Manning in 2022.
The affidavit also accuses Manning, who was not a licensed firearms dealer, of purchasing dozens of guns, many of which were recovered by law enforcement in the possession of people who were prohibited from having firearms.
Several other firearms allegedly purchased by Manning had been recovered during investigations of various crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
He was charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms, one count of engaging in firearm sales without a license, and 10 counts of making a false statement on a federal form. It's not clear if Manning has obtained an attorney.
Another pistol found at the scene was allegedly purchased by Williams during a gun show last year. Federal authorities said he bought the gun for Groves, who accompanied him to the gun show but was too young to legally purchase a firearm of his own.
Groves told investigators that the firearm was stolen during a "shootout" but he did not report it and had another friend purchase him a different one, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Manning and Williams also allegedly bought firearm receivers or frames, which house the firing mechanism and other internal parts of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Receivers can be used to build illegal firearms or can be loaded and fired, the office said.
The criminal complaint charged Williams and Groves together with one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms and one count of aiding and abetting making false statements in the acquisition of firearms. They are each charged separately with one count of making a false statement to a federal agent. It's not clear if they have an attorney who can speak on their behalf.
