Federal authorities are charging the friend of the Dayton shooter who killed nine people in Ohio earlier this month for lying about narcotics usage on federal firearms forms required to purchase body armor and gun accessories. While the officials stressed that there is no evidence that Ethan Kollie, 24, helped the shooter plan his attack, they did say that Kollie provided the body armor and accessories used in the attack.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Benjamin Glassman said on Monday "There is no evidence and no allegation in this criminal complaint that Kollie intentionally participated in the planning of Betts’ August 4th shooting." But, investigators discovered marijuana inside Kollie's home.
The Ohio native told the authorities that he smoked daily. He hid some supplies used by the Dayton shooter inside his home so that the mass killer's parents would not find them. It is not clear if Kollie owned a gun, but the form he filled out would have been used if he went to purchase one.
"Possessing controlled substances and a firearm is itself a crime," Glassman noted.
According to the Daily Beast, Kollie also watched the shooter assemble a firearm inside his apartment:
Kollie allegedly told agents he bought a high-capacity ammunition magazine, body armor, and part of the receiver for Betts’ firearm. Kollie said he helped Betts assemble the firearm several months ago.
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Kollie was arrested Friday and faces up to 15 years in federal prison if found guilty. The FBI is still investigating the motives for the shooting but confirmed they were investigating the killer was "exploring violent ideologies" prior to the attack.
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