Straw purchasers bought guns that killed two Indiana police officers, prosecutors say

Ryan Martin | IndyStar

The handguns used to kill a Boone County sheriff's deputy and a Terre Haute police officer had something in common: they were purchased at gun stores and sold or given to criminals.

Three people face charges in federal court for their alleged roles of buying and selling the 9mm guns that were fired in the unrelated homicides of Deputy Jacob Pickett in March and officer Rob Pitts in May.

Law enforcement officials say such straw purchasers are feeding a black market in firearms that is partly responsible for the rise in violence in cities like Indianapolis.

While the three are not suspected of killing the officers, U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said there are tragic results — in deadly outcomes and in federal charges — when gun laws are ignored.

"Two men — who had no legal right to possess a gun — shot and killed two brave law enforcement officers," Minkler said at a press conference Monday. "The pattern in both cases is crystal clear: illegal purchases of guns, illegal possession of guns, illegal transfers of guns, an underground gun economy — all in violation of laws created by Congress to prevent shootings."

The suspects and charges filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana are:

Dawn Rochon , 29, of Indianapolis faces eight counts related to making false statements when acquiring a gun.

, 29, of Indianapolis faces eight counts related to making false statements when acquiring a gun. Tiffany N. Dean , 33, of West Terre Haute faces one charge of making a false statement when buying a gun.

, 33, of West Terre Haute faces one charge of making a false statement when buying a gun. Levi M. Brenton, 20, of Terre Haute faces three charges of conspiracy to make false statements when buying a gun, unlawful possession of a gun by a drug user and selling a gun to an unlawful drug user.

Each of the counts carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Neither gun store is accused of wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say the 9mm handgun used to kill Pickett came from Indy Gun Bunker on Indianapolis' east side. In February 2017, Rochon lied about her address on the gun's purchasing documents, according to a federal indictment. She's accused of three other illegal gun purchases, too.

"Had she told the truth, they would not have allowed her to purchase the gun," Minkler said.

He declined to elaborate about why her address would have been flagged, saying the information was still sensitive for law enforcement.

He also said investigators are still trying to learn how the gun ended up in the hands of Anthony Baumgardt, who is suspected of shooting Pickett.

Pickett, a 34-year-old husband and father of two young children, was fatally wounded March 2 in Lebanon during a foot chase. Baumgardt, who had been wanted on an outstanding warrant, is charged with his murder. The Boone County prosecutor is seeking the death penalty.

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Also in February 2017, prosecutors say Dean bought a 9mm handgun from Top Guns in Terre Haute.

On the paperwork, Dean wrote that the handgun was for herself when it was really for her brother, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint.

Investigators say Brenton, her brother, entered the gun store alongside Dean and left with the gun. He later sold it for $350 to the man who is suspected of using it to kill Pitts.

The suspect, 21-year-old Christopher Wolfe, died after a shootout with Pitts at an apartment building on May 4. Pitts, a 16-year veteran, sought Wolfe in connection with a homicide investigation.

Brenton told investigators that he knew Wolfe from his days in high school, when he bought marijuana from Wolfe.

Following brief comments from Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen and Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse, who also were at the press conference Monday, Minkler turned his attention to a problem looming over Indianapolis: gun violence.

Minkler, following a strategy outlined by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is ramping up his office's focus on gun crimes — including against straw purchasers.

Indianapolis is battling a yearslong slog of record shootings. More than 200 people have been killed in Indianapolis since the start of 2017.

IMPD Chief Bryan Roach, whose department is working closely with Minkler on the strategy, said the same black market for guns that led to the deaths of Pickett and Pitts also is fueling the violence in Indianapolis.

"The stark numbers that you heard should be unacceptable," Roach said. "They're unacceptable to the men and women of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. They're unacceptable to the community."

And guns are not only leading to homicides, Roach said. He noted that Indiana's suicide rate rose more than 30 percent between 1999 and 2016, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released last week.

"It's not just about arrests. It's about saving lives," Roach said, speaking broadly about his department's focus on gun violence.

But fighting straw purchasers in Indiana is no easy task for law enforcement, said Daniel Webster, a researcher who leads the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

Indiana does not require a license to buy a gun, and private transactions — such as selling a firearm at a gun show — are not regulated in the state.

"Indiana makes it particularly challenging to combat straw purchases," Webster said.

The most effective policy, Webster said, is a licensing process. He referenced one study that associated licensing with preventing the shootings of police officers.

When Missouri repealed a licensing requirement, Webster said, the state experienced an increase in officers being shot with handguns. Conversely, when Connecticut created a permitting process, fewer officers were shot.

But licensing is generally viewed by strong Second Amendment supporters as an infringement on a constitutional right. Indiana lawmakers regularly seek to loosen gun restrictions, though such efforts stalled in the General Assembly this year.

Indiana's only permitting requirement is for carrying a handgun in public.

Call IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at (317) 444-6294. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @ryanmartin.