Jesse Kitagawa Jr., a resident of Arizona, was apprehended and charged with illegally selling a handgun to Glenn Litton. It is alleged that Litton used the firearm to carry out a shooting incident at a school in California.
A man was arrested in Arizona on Thursday for allegedly selling the gun to the school shooter responsible for the recent shooting at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, California.
A Phoenix resident named Jesse Kitagawa Jr., 45, was taken into custody and charged with illegally selling a handgun to Glenn Litton, 56. Litton tragically used the firearm on December 4th to inflict critical injuries on two kindergarteners before ending his own life. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office made this announcement on Tuesday.
Kitagawa, a convicted felon, illegally sold the firearm to Litton, who is also a convicted felon, for $300 on April 10 at a motel located southeast of Phoenix, according to authorities. It was unlawful for both of them to possess a firearm.
Litton was found to have practiced with the firearm at a gun range in Phoenix and bought ammunition after the sale. He then returned to California on April 19th via a Greyhound bus.
The firearm Litton utilized in the shooting incident was a Glock 19 “ghost gun,” according to deputies. Ghost gun receivers are devoid of serial numbers and can be constructed by individuals using various gun parts. Detectives from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the FBI, examined the weapon and successfully traced it back to Arizona.
According to deputies, an elderly gentleman in his 77s purchased the firearm from the widow of the previous owner. The transaction was completely legal. Shortly after, the gentleman sold the weapon to Kitagawa, who then sold it to Litton within two days.
According to a news release by the deputies on Tuesday, it seems that the man who sold the firearm to Kitagawa did not break any Arizona state laws. This is because Kitagawa possesses a driver’s license issued by the state of Arizona and assured Lyons that he was legally allowed to own firearms.
Kitagawa had his first court hearing on Friday, according to deputies. During the hearing, a judge determined that there was enough evidence to establish probable cause. As a result, a bond was issued for Kitagawa, who is now awaiting arraignment. The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office is expected to file charges against him.