A 22-year-old Kansas City man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge that he illegally purchased a gun that was recovered following the mass shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally in February.
As part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr. admitted he lied to a firearms dealer in Kansas City as he was purchasing a gun on behalf of another man who was too young to buy the weapon for himself legally, according to court documents.
Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of a firearm in U.S. District Court in Kansas City. A sentencing hearing has been set for Dec. 11.
In an email to The Star Wednesday, Steve Moss, an attorney for Williams, said because the case remains pending, he was limited in what he could say. But he said Williams had no knowledge of or connection to any person involved in the shooting at the rally.
Williams is one of three Kansas City men facing federal gun charges in connection with the Feb. 14 shooting. The charges do not allege the men were among the shooters, but rather that they were allegedly involved in illegal straw purchases and trafficking of firearms.
Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, the 20-year-old man who Williams allegedly bought the gun for, has a change of plea hearing scheduled for Friday, according to court records. Groves is charged with a count of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of a firearm, a count of aiding and abetting making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm and a count of making a false statement to a federal agent.
Williams allegedly purchased a pistol receiver — the part of a gun that can be loaded and fired — in November 2023 at a gun show in Kansas City. Both men told federal agents Groves gave Williams money to buy the receiver for Groves, and Groves said the gun was stolen from him, according to court documents. The gun was recovered by law enforcement near Union Station following the rally shooting.
A case for the third man, 23-year-old Fedo Antonia Manning, is still pending. Manning faces 12 gun-related charges, including conspiracy to traffic firearms, engaging in firearm sales without a license and making false statements on a federal form. In court documents filed earlier this month, prosecutors allege Manning served as a straw purchaser for up to 40 guns, seven of which were connected to criminal investigations. Three of the guns were connected to an armed robbery, the rally shooting and a homicide, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Manning allegedly purchased one of the guns found following the rally shooting at a gun shop in Lee’s Summit. A federal agent wrote in court documents that he believed the gun was trafficked illegally.
The shooting that erupted at the celebration at Union Station killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Johnson County mother of two and beloved disc jockey in Kansas City. Police have said 25 people were injured by gunfire and 69 were hurt in other ways trying to flee the shots.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed.
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