Ohio shooter's friend bought body armour, ammunition used
The ammunition and body armour used in the deadly shooting of nine people in Dayton, Ohio, was bought for the gunman by a friend, investigators have revealed.
But there was no indication the friend knew that Connor Betts was planning a mass attack, agents said.
Ethan Kollie told investigators just hours after the August 4 shooting he had bought body armour and a 100-round magazine and kept it at his apartment so Betts' parents would not find it, according to a court document.
Kollie "indicated he purchased body armour and a firearm accessory for Connor Betts earlier this year." AP/AAP
Federal investigators emphasised there was no evidence Kollie knew how Betts, 24, would use the equipment or that Kollie intentionally took part in the planning of the shooting.
The accusations came as prosecutors unsealed charges against Kollie they said were unrelated to the shooting.
Betts opened fire in a popular entertainment district, killing his sister and eight others before being killed by police outside a crowded bar.
Authorities have said hundreds more people may have died if Betts had managed to get inside the bar.
Prosecutors accused Kollie of lying about not using marijuana on federal firearms forms in the purchase of a pistol that was not used in the shooting.
In the US, possessing a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Making a false statement regarding firearms carries a potential maximum sentence of up to five years' imprisonment.
Police have said there was nothing in Betts' background that would have prevented him from buying the AR-15 style gun used in the shooting.
The weapon was bought online from a dealer in Texas and shipped to another firearms dealer in the Dayton area, police said on the day of the shooting.
Surveillance video shows Dayton Police Department officers firing at Connor Betts (pictured left), who was shot and killed seconds after he began killing people outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio AAP
Betts and Kollie apparently had been friends for several years.
Kollie told agents they had smoked marijuana and used acid several times a week beginning in 2014 through 2015, US Attorney Benjamin Glassman said.
Investigators have not released a motive for the shooting.
Eight of the victims who died were shot multiple times, the Montgomery County coroner's office has said.
More than 30 others were left injured, including at least 14 with gunshot wounds, hospital officials and investigators said.
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