NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WGN) — Three U.S. Army soldiers have been charged in federal court for allegedly supplying guns used in recent Chicago shootings and homicides.
Demarcus Adams, 21, Jarius Brunson, 22, and Brandon Miller, 22, all enlisted members of the U.S. Army and stationed at the Fort Campbell, were arrested Tuesday morning for their alleged involvement.
The investigation into the soldiers began after one person was shot and killed and seven others were wounded at a South Side birthday party on March 26. Police said five of the firearms were purchased from Federal Firearms Licensed dealers in the Clarksville, Tennessee area.
Further investigation identified Adams, Brunson and Miller as the alleged majority purchasers of the firearms.
Authorities believe the trio purchases 91 firearms from multiple FFLs in Clarksville and in Kentucky.
Once the firearms were purchased, which happened during the last five months, Miller then would allegedly provide them to people he knew in Chicago, according to the criminal complaint.
On April 28, a federal search warrant was executed at the home of Miller and Adams in Clarksville, where 49 empty firearms cases were recovered. Many of these empty cases were matched to firearms recovered by the Chicago Police Department at the scene of recent shootings and homicides.
They have been charged with transferring a firearm to an out-of-state resident; making false statements during the purchase of a firearm; engaging in the business without a firearms license; wire fraud; money laundering; and conspiracy to commit Title 18 offenses.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison.