Pawn Shop Says it Sold Gun to Ohio Shooter

Aug. 10, 2011
A northeast Ohio pawn shop says it sold a handgun last week to a man who authorities say shot and killed seven people before dying in a shootout with police.

AKRON, Ohio --

A northeast Ohio pawn shop says it sold a handgun last week to a man who authorities say shot and killed seven people before dying in a shootout with police.

Owner Tom Sydmor of Sydmor's Jewelry in Barberton tells the Akron Beacon Journal nothing seemed unusual about 51-year-old Michael Hance when he came into the store five days before Sunday's rampage. The newspaper reports ( http://bit.ly/oUOZS2) that since Hance had no criminal record, he easily cleared a federal background check and took immediate possession of a .45-caliber weapon.

Police say federal authorities have been tracing two handguns linked to Hance.

Neighbors in the Akron suburb where the shootings occurred say the violence stemmed from a dispute over the home where Hance lived with his longtime girlfriend, who was shot but survived.

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Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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