DA: Man Bought Gun in Phoenixville for Cop Killer
Though the gun Officer Brad Fox was killed with was allegedly purchased in Jeffersonville, police say another gun was purchased for Andrew Thomas at French Creek Outfitters.
A Philadelphia man has been arrested on charges that he purchased and illegally resold the gun later used to shoot and kill Plymouth Township Police Officer Bradley Fox last month.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said Michael Joseph Henry, 30, purchased a 9-millimeter Beretta that he then sold to Andrew Charles Thomas, who shot and killed Fox near the Schuylkill River Trail following an automobile and foot pursuit on Sept. 13.
The gun's serial number was traced to Henry through Pennsylvania State Police records.
Authorities interviewed Henry the day after Fox's murder and said Henry told them he began to purchase firearms for Thomas shortly after meeting him last April. Thomas allegedly paid Henry $500 in addition to the purchase price for each weapon that was sold.
In total, authorities said, Henry purchased nine guns for Thomas. Six, including the murder weapon, were purchased at In Site Firearms in Jeffersonville. The remainder were made at French Creek Outfitters in Phoenixville, Chester County.
According to authorities, Henry said that he discussed the possibility of being stopped by police with Thomas. Thomas allegedly said to Henry that he "wouldn't go alive" and "would shoot a cop" to avoid returning to jail.
Authorities said they are working to locate the other eight guns sold to Thomas.
If convicted on all charges against him, Henry faces up to 63 years in prison.
Bill Star
9:16 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Straw purchasing of guns to be resold is a serious problem in Pennsylvania. I'm not sure if it would have helped in this case, but when Ed Rendell was Governor, he proposed a common sense measure. Persons would be limited to one handgun purchase per month. Due to the influence of the NRA on the republican legislature, we couldn't even get this common sense law passed.
Barry
11:03 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
That will not solve the problem. A death penalty will definitely make them think twice.
Is $500 or $1000 or $5000 worth a death sentence? Common sense..
Gil Zimmerman
9:24 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
All 63 years for this specific crime are deserved. This scumbag should never see the streets again.
Chris Dyer
10:19 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Can we please bring back the death penalty....so now we are going to pay to house & feed this scumbag for the rest of his life. The death penalty deters crime, even if its one person at a time!
Barry
11:04 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Amen brother!
ed r.
12:00 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
No thanks. Too many cases of questionable guilty verdicts have sent potentially innocent people to their deaths. I'd rather feed and house a thousand murderers if it means we don't execute an innocent person. We can mitigate the cost by not putting people away and filling our prisons for relatively benign drug offenses.
Laura S
11:09 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
It appears that this individual knew he was buying guns for a disreputable character, one he'd only met recently. The lure of money was greater than his sense of morality. Was the money he made worth not only the potential imprisonment he faces, but the loss of life? I think not.
Megan Kampf
1:07 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
Um . . .we do have the death penalty in Pennsylvania!!