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Feds: Woman Bought Rifle For Upstate Firefighter Killer
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 29, 2012
Modified Dec 29, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 29, 2012
Modified Dec 29, 2012
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A 24-year-old woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly buying guns for the convicted killer who fatally shot firefighters in Webster, NY on Christmas Eve. A criminal complaint (PDF) states that Dawn Nguyen, a resident of Greece, NY, bought a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle and a Mossberg shotgun for William Spengler in 2010.
Spengler, who was not legally able to own or purchase guns due to his 1981 conviction for killing his grandmother, apparently asked Nguyen, a neighbor at the time, to do so for him as a straw purchaser. The NY Times reports, "When the police asked her about the purchase after the shooting, she claimed the guns were for her own protection. She also said they had been stolen from her car, although the police said no report had been filed to support that claim."
Nguyen's lawyer told the Democrat and Chronicle that the guns were his client's, "[Nguyen] went with Spengler [to buy the guns] because they were somewhat friendly, they were neighbors. He was just there to help.” However, Spengler apparently wrote in his suicide note that a neighbor's daughter helped him buy the guns.
Nguyen's mother, Dawn Welsher, told a Democrat and Chronicle reporter—in a 2:20 a.m. voicemail—"This is nuts. I never supplied this man with nothing. My daughter never supplied him with anything. He’s setting us up.” Also: "Welsher speculated that Spengler had a crush on her, and that when she and her family moved away recently, her absence “did something to him.”
But Nguyen apparently texted messaged with a friend—who is a deputy—and told him that she bought Spengler the guns. Nguyen was released on her own recognizance.
Spengler fatally shot two volunteer firefighters in what authorities describe as an ambush and also wounded two others.
Tagged
bushmaster rifle
dawn nguyen
gun violence
straw purchase
webster ny
william spengler
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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