INDIANAPOLIS–More than 1,500 guns used in crimes in Chicago, came from Indiana, say Chicago Police. Iva Patrick, 36, of Indianapolis, is accused of buying 36 of those guns herself. One of the guns she bought was used in a Chicago murder.
Patrick was indicted by a federal grand jury, charged with lying on the paper work she submitted for each of the guns, saying they were for her, when in fact, her boyfriend, Jeremy Evans, had her buy the guns because he is a convicted felon and couldn’t.
Court documents say Evans waited in the parking lots of several Indianapolis gun stores while Patrcik made the purchases.
“If you choose to lie on the federal forms when purchasing a firearm, you must face the consequences,” said U.S. Atty. Josh Minkler. “Firearms purchased illegally, or for other people, are often purchased for no other reason, but to commit crimes. The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearm laws through Project Guardian.”
Several firearms purchased by Patrick were used in a carjacking, narcotics dealings, other shootings, and in the hands of convicted felons, said investigators, who are still looking for the rest of the guns.
Rep. Robin Kelly, who represents parts of Chicago in the U.S. House, has called for legislation to stop the flow of guns into Chicago, from other states.
“According to the CPD (Chicago Police), nearly 60 percent of crime guns come from outside of Illinois. A quarter come from our neighbors in Indiana and Wisconsin. Yet, there’s still no federal gun trafficking statute,” she said.
Last week, Attorney General William Barr announced Project Guardian, an initiative that focuses on reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearm laws.
“This case is a prime example of the Project Guardian initiative at work in the Southern District of Indiana. Law enforcement utilized crime gun intelligence to investigate this case and utilized various investigative resources including the ATF National Tracing Center to run a trace on all recovered guns,” read a news release on Patrick’s arrest from Minkler’s office.
cover Image by Brett Hondow from Pixabay