Twelve people from across Allegheny County are facing charges in a sweeping investigation into illegal firearm transfers, and one of them, a 19-year-old Pittsburgh man, is also accused of possessing child sexual abuse material. Investigators say the case traces a web of straw purchases that put guns into the hands of people barred from owning them, with at least one weapon allegedly linked back to a Pittsburgh shooting.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that the twelve defendants were charged following an investigation into alleged straw purchases, illegal firearm transfers and unlawful firearm possession across Allegheny County, according to CBS Pittsburgh. “These defendants all engaged in straw purchasing or other illegal transfers of firearms,” Sunday said, adding that guns obtained this way often end up at violent crime scenes and in the hands of people prohibited from legally possessing them.
Arrests, Weapons and a Disturbing Discovery
Among those charged is 19-year-old Kyree McCray, who faces firearms-related charges as well as a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, the station's report notes. McCray and an acquaintance, Robert Crowley, were arrested last month and were both denied bail at their arraignments after a magisterial district judge deemed the pair a danger to the community. Crowley, according to the same account, faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license along with related illegal firearm-transfer offenses.
Per the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, McCray and Crowley were taken into custody in August at 325 Albert Street in Pittsburgh, where investigators recovered multiple handguns, magazines, ammunition, a muzzle brake and a speed loader. Investigators more broadly recovered several handguns, magazines, ammunition and firearm accessories tied to the case, per the CBS Pittsburgh report.
A Constance Street Shooting Links Back to a Straw Buyer
Investigators identified 24-year-old Makai Kenney as an alleged straw purchaser during their probe into a shooting on Constance Street in Pittsburgh, the station reports. Kenney allegedly purchased at least six firearms and now faces charges tied to illegal transfers of those weapons. Police recovered guns traced back to Kenney either at crime scenes or in the possession of other people, according to the same report.
The remaining defendants named in the sweep include 32-year-old Shawn M. Mason of Penn Hills, 28-year-old Aaron B. Ridgely of Homestead, 29-year-old Lavandra Carpenter of Pittsburgh, 39-year-old Shelly Bonacci of Duquesne, 32-year-old Joni Atkinson of Pittsburgh, 23-year-old Ethan Drolz of Verona, 22-year-old Davar Reid of Turtle Creek, 42-year-old Sharon Gore of Turtle Creek — identified as Reid's mother-in-law — and 25-year-old Carley Chedwick of West Mifflin. The nine defendants other than McCray, Crowley and Kenney face charges of illegal possession or transfer of firearms, conspiracy or related offenses, the station notes. Authorities say additional charges may still be filed as the investigation continues.
Investigation Spans Seven Municipalities
The twelve defendants reside across seven different municipalities in Allegheny County — Pittsburgh, Penn Hills, Homestead, Duquesne, Verona, Turtle Creek and West Mifflin — according to the PA Office of Attorney General, underscoring how illegal firearm networks in the region extend well beyond city limits. The cases against all twelve defendants will be formally prosecuted by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, led by District Attorney Stephen Zappala, the agency confirmed. Authorities say they are still working to trace and recover all of the firearms connected to the case.
A Task Force Built for Sustained Crackdowns
This sweep is the latest action from the Allegheny County Gun Violence Task Force, which launched in February 2024 as a joint initiative between then-Attorney General Michelle Henry and Zappala, backed by more than $1 million in state funding for ten dedicated staff positions focused on illegal firearm transfers, according to CBS News. The task force operates as a collaborative network pooling personnel, technology and investigative resources from the PA Office of Attorney General, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, the Allegheny County Police Department and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, per the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office.
The task force has run similar large-scale operations before. In March 2025, it charged 11 Allegheny County residents with illegal firearm transfers in a comparable sweep, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Then in November 2025, the task force charged six individuals in another crackdown, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
Steep Penalties Await Repeat Offenders
Pennsylvania's Brad Fox Law provides a five-year minimum sentence for repeat or multiple straw-purchase offenses. Federal law adds another layer of exposure: the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 made straw purchasing a standalone federal felony under 18 U.S.C. § 932, carrying penalties of up to 15 years in federal prison.
Attorney General Sunday has discussed and prosecuted straw-purchase cases. In June, his office secured an 18-year prison sentence for a Philadelphia man convicted of straw purchasing 31 firearms, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Whether federal prosecutors will pursue charges in the Allegheny County case, or whether additional co-conspirators will be named as investigators continue tracing unaccounted-for firearms, remains unresolved.
