Federal authorities have arrested a Virginia man accused of illegally selling the stolen handgun used in last week's deadly shooting at Old Dominion University, where an ROTC instructor was killed, and two students were wounded.
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Kenya McChell Chapman of Smithfield is charged with dealing in firearms without a license and making false statements during previous gun purchases.
He was taken into custody on Mar. 13 and made an initial appearance in federal court, where a judge ordered him held pending further proceedings. Chapman has not yet entered a plea, according to ABC News.
Investigators allege Chapman sold a .22-caliber Glock handgun to 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh days before Jalloh opened fire during an Army ROTC class at ODU in Norfolk on Mar. 12.
Court documents state Chapman admitted selling the weapon for about 100 dollars after previously stealing it from a parked vehicle in Newport News roughly a year earlier. Agents executing a search warrant at his home reported finding .22-caliber ammunition consistent with the gun recovered after the shooting, NBC News reported.
Authorities have identified the slain instructor as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a retired military officer who was leading the class when the attack began. Two students were injured before classmates confronted Jalloh and fatally stabbed him, ending the rampage. The FBI is investigating the case as a potential act of terrorism.
Jalloh, a former National Guardsman, was previously convicted in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a felony that barred him from legally owning firearms.
Officials say that his prior record made it illegal for him to buy a gun, which is why investigators are focusing on how he obtained the weapon used at ODU. Federal filings indicate Chapman had been scrutinized before in a separate firearms case that did not result in prosecution, as per the BBC.
