A 22-year-old man from Kansas City, Missouri, has been sentenced for his role in the illegal straw purchase of a firearm that was discovered at the scene of the shooting following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally.
Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr. was sentenced to five years of probation by the U.S. District Court. Williams pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to make false statements during the acquisition of a firearm.
Federal prosecutors clarified that Williams was not one of the shooters involved in the February 14 incident at Union Station, which occurred as Chiefs fans celebrated the Super Bowl.
The tragic event resulted in the death of one woman, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, and left over 20 others injured. In response, the Jackson County prosecutor charged 18-year-old Dominic M. Miller of Kansas City and 23-year-old Lyndell Mays of Raytown with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful weapon use.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Williams’ criminal activities spanned from November 25, 2023, to February 21, 2024. During this period, Williams made false statements to a licensed firearms dealer on November 25, 2023, claiming that he was the actual buyer of a Stag Arms lower receiver.
This was part of a scheme intended to mislead the dealer and facilitate the sale to Williams, who was purchasing the firearm on behalf of a co-conspirator under the legal age for firearm purchases.
Williams admitted that he handed the firearm to his co-conspirator on the same day he made the purchase. Law enforcement later recovered the firearm—equipped with a 300-blackout barrel—on February 14 near 30 West Pershing Road at the scene of the shooting.
Additionally, Williams confessed that between February 16 and February 21, he made false statements to federal law enforcement officers regarding the purchase and transfer of the Stag Arms lower receiver.
