Convicted Felon Charged With Selling Gun to Kazemi

The gun Sahel Kazemi used to shoot Steve McNair before ending her own life was sold to her by a convicted felon. That’s according to Middle Tennessee’s attorney general, who announced plans to prosecute the man today.

Adrian Gilliam of LaVergne was convicted in Florida in 1993 of three counts of attempted armed robbery, and second degree murder. That made it illegal for him to possess the 9mm pistol he allegedly sold to Kazemi on July 2 for $100.

Gilliam was arrested earlier today, and if convicted could face 10 years in prison without possibility of parole, along with up to a quarter million dollar fine.

U.S. Attorney Ed Yarbrough says the decades-old law is intended to safeguard against future crimes.

“In this case, that didn’t occur. We’re obviously sorry for that, but nonetheless, the case is there, and Mr. Gilliam, we allege, has been guilty of violating that law, and we intend to prosecute it as we would any other case of this type.”

An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms led detectives to Gilliam, whose deal with Kazemi they attribute largely to happenstance. Gilliam was apparently helping Kazemi sell her car when she mentioned needing a gun to him.