FRIEND OF OHIO GUNMAN FACES FEDERAL CHARGES IN MASS SHOOTING

A friend of the Ohio man who killed nine people, including his own sister, in Dayton this month was charged on Monday with lying about his illegal drug use on a form when he bought a gun, federal prosecutors said.

The Aug. 4 attack, which ended when police shot and killed 24-year-old Connor Betts, was one of three-high profile mass shootings over three weeks that stunned the United States and stoked its long-running debate on gun rights. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman charged Betts’ friend Ethan Kollie with making a false statement regarding firearms. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, according to court documents.

Glassman said that authorities, in the course of investigating the shooting, learned that Kollie used illegal drugs and lied about his drug use on a form when he bought a firearm.