A former Philadelphia sheriff's deputy is accused of illegally selling firearms, including two which had been used in a deadly "ambush" after a high school football scrimmage, court documents state.
The former deputy, Samir Ahmad, 29, faces charges of firearms trafficking and selling firearms to a person unlawfully in the U.S.
The FBI was told in April that Ahmad, who was employed by the city's sheriff's office at the time, had offered to sell firearms to an individual who happened to be an FBI confidential informant, a criminal complaint states.
Law enforcement gave the informant an audio recording device and instructed him to buy the gun from Ahmad.
Ahmad allegedly sold the informant a Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with six live rounds for $1,150 in cash, the document says, and promised the informant that they could meet again at a later date for additional ammunition. The informant turned the gun over to the FBI.
On Oct. 13, Ahmad allegedly sold two more guns to the informant. In audio and video recordings, the informant told Ahmad that he was in the U.S. illegally and expressed concerns about being deported if he was caught with a firearm.
Ahmad assured the man he would be fine and gave him two pistols and ammunition in exchange for $3,000 in cash, the complaint says. The informant gave the guns to the FBI.
Ahmad was arrested on Oct. 19 at the sheriff's office after he was fired. A day before his arrest he met with the informant again and sold him another firearm and methamphetamine in exchange for $4,900 in cash, a separate court filing says.
During the investigation, law enforcement traced the two guns from the Oct. 13 sale and learned that they had been used in a shooting outside of Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, according to the filing.
Five football players were shot in the Sept. 27 "ambush" after gunmen in a light green Ford Explorer opened fire as the high schoolers were walking off the field. Nicholas Elizalde, 14, was killed after he was shot in the chest.
Three people — two teenagers and a 21-year-old man — were arrested in connection to the shooting, NBC Philadelphia reported. Police believe there were five gunmen and a getaway driver.
"The fact that the defendant had access to these guns so quickly after they were used to commit such a horrific crime speaks volumes about the danger that this defendant poses to the community," the court filing states.
It's not clear if Ahmad knew the weapons had been used in the shooting prior to his obtaining them. His attorney and the DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said Ahmad "abused his authority" as a law enforcement member.
"The defendant was allegedly illegally selling firearms on the street to at least one person who was not permitted to possess them, adding fuel to the already-incendiary fire of deadly gun violence in the City of Philadelphia," Romero said in a statement. "Working with our law enforcement partners, we are doing all that we can to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence."
If convicted, Ahmad faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison.
