A Dallas man is facing federal gun trafficking charges after being accused of buying and selling illegal guns, prosecutors say, including one that was reportedly used in an Arlington killing last year.
In a news release, the United States Justice Department said 31-year-old Demontre Antwon Hackworth avoided federal background checking measures by using his Texas license to carry to purchase weapons which he later sold illegally.
Prosecutors said Hackworth bought more than 90 guns before reselling them without a license or conducting background checks.
Investigators recovered 16 guns Hackworth allegedly purchased that were connected to crimes in Texas, Maryland and Canada, the release said.
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One of the weapons Hackworth sold was used in the killing of Kier Solomon, a 21-year-old Black transgender woman from Dallas who was found in her car shot in the chest in an apartment complex parking lot, according to our partners at The Dallas Morning News.
"Illegal firearms trafficking is not a victimless crime," Jeff Boshek, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dallas Field Division. "There are real consequences when individuals illegally engage in the business of buying and selling firearms."
Hackworth was arrested Friday and currently faces 35 years in prison.
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Hackworth appeared in federal court Monday morning, The News reported, which said his attorney, Wesley Spencer, said that neither he nor his client would comment.
