The man accused of selling Rodrick Dantzler the gun he used to go on a shooting spree in 2011 is charged in federal court.
Michael James Allen was charged with “selling and otherwise disposing of a firearm to a felon”.
Prosecutors say Allen sold the gun, a Glock, Model 19, 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, to Dantzler who was also known as “Lashone” at the time.
They say Allen should have known Dantzler was a felon, making the sale illegal.
Federal court documents also indicate that Allen recently filed a guilty plea to the charge as part of an agreement, but it has not yet been accepted.
Dantzler used the gun to kill seven people in Grand Rapids on July 7, 2011, including members of the Herren family and his own daughter, Kamrie.
He also killed Kimberlee and Amanda Emkens and Amanda’s little girl, Marissa.
Meanwhile, another man accused of helping Allen, and then Dantzler, to get the gun used in the 2011 mass shooting has also pleaded guilty to weapons violations in federal court.
Thirty-one-year-old Joseph Krul was originally charged with five weapons violations.
As part of the plea agreement, he would admit to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The pistol was originally reported stolen from a homeowner in Kent County who legally owned the weapon.
Grand Rapids Police traced the gun back to Krul and Allen after months of investigations involving several agencies.
