A woman who purchased the gun used to kill Colorado Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements was arrested Wednesday and charged with illegally transferring the firearm to the alleged shooter, Evan Ebel.

Police told The Associated Press that Stevie Marie Vigil, 22, bought the gun from a Denver-area dealer. It was later used in a shootout with Texas police that left Ebel brain dead.

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Authorities believe the same weapon was used in the killing of a Colorado pizza delivery driver, whose personal effects may have been used to trick Clements into opening his door.

Vigil faces a single felony charge of unlawful purchase of a firearm.

Although Colorado does not require a permit to buy handguns or rifles, the state recently mandated background checks for all purchases, with the aim of preventing felons from obtaining firearms. Purchasing a weapon for a felon is considered a serious crime.

The potential motive for the killing remains unknown, but police said they are looking into whether Ebel was ordered to carry out the hit by his white supremacist prison gang, the 211s.

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Photo: Shutterstock.com.