Three Kansas City, Missouri, men have been charged for their role in illegal firearms trafficking and the straw purchasing of firearms, connected to a mass shooting following the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade rally.
Fedo Antonia Manning, 22, was charged with one count of 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.
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said, "These cases underscore the importance of enforcing federal firearms laws."
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The plea comes in a case that began with an incident on Feb. 23, 2023, at a restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas.
Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr., 21, and Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, 19, were both charged with conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms, aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the acquisition of a firearm and making a false statement to a federal agent.
Court documents say Manning was involved in a group of individuals working to transport firearms between May 24, 2022 and April 20, 2023.
Manning was not a licensed firearms dealer during that time, court documents showed.
The men are accused of making false statements to firearms dealers to conceal the true buyer of the firearms.
"These statements and representations by the defendant [Manning] were completely false, as the defendant well knew," court documents said.
One firearm recovered at the scene in Kansas City where the parade rally shooting took place — an AM-15 pistol — was allegedly purchased and distributed by Manning.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said, "While the events of February 14th will forever weigh heavy on our hearts, the effort of our federal partners and KCPD detectives is a testament to their service to Kansas City."
The U.S. Department of Justice said 12 people brandished firearms and at least six people fired their weapons. The Kansas City Police Department said it recovered "several firearms" along with spent shell casings and other items used as evidence in the case.
One person was killed in the shooting and over 20 other people were injured in what the DOJ has called a mass shooting.
This story was originally published by Jack Anstine at Scripps News Kansas City with additional reporting from Scripps News.
