Police shoot, kill teen they say had illegally modified gun; what is an auto sear?

Police shot and killed a teen who they said had an illegally-modified gun.

>> RELATED: ‘A good kid;’ Teen killed in officer-involved shooting had no prior record, family lawyer says

News Center 7 I-Team Reporter John Bedell has covered these weapons for years.

Tuesday, the I-Team showed people in the Miami Valley what a gun illegally outfitted with an auto sear or “switch” can do.

One pull of the trigger can empty an entire magazine in seconds.

The I-Team has previously covered cases where federal prosecutors in Dayton have charged men caught with sears or switches in our area with “possession of a machine gun.”

>> ORIGINAL COVERAGE: I-Team: what’s a “Glock switch?” small illegal device turning popular handguns into machine guns

Leticia Walker said she couldn’t believe they were popping up in the Miami Valley.

“I don’t like it. it’s automatic and it’s got a lot of bullets and they could kill a lot of people in seconds really,” Walker said.

Jessica Combs lost her son, Ronnie Bowers, to gun violence.

“September 4th, 2016. He was shot,” Combs said.

Combs shared what she thought about these kinds of weapons being in the Dayton area.

“That’s terrifying. it’s terrifying. Especially in the wrong hands. I mean that’s a lot of rounds in two seconds,” Combs said.

Getting caught with these devices comes with serious charges.

Owning one is a federal crime and can get you 10 years in prison.

Using one in a crime in Ohio can land you in state prison for at least six years.

©2024 Cox Media Group