A Georgia woman who admitted she bought a gun for her boyfriend, a convicted felon who later used the pistol to fatally shoot a police officer in Omaha, NE, was sentenced to one year of probation, plus six months of home detention and 40 hours of community service, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Jalita Jenera Johnson, 26, bought the handgun, a Glock pistol and a 50-round drum magazine, plus ammunition, in April, the newspaper reported. While she initially claimed the gun was for her personal use, she actually bought it for her boyfriend, Marcus Wheeler, the newspaper said.
The following month, Wheeler was in Omaha, where he was involved in a gun battle with Officer Kerrie Orozoco and other officers. Police had been looking for Wheeler on an earlier warrant in connection with a 2014 shooting. Both Orozoco and Wheeler were fatally wounded.
Wheeler had a record that included a stretch in federal prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, according to the Omaha World-Herald. He had also been charged in connection with a couple of shootings, but those charges were subsequently dropped, the newspaper said. He was released from prison in February 2014.
Orozoco was the first Omaha female officer to die in the line of duty. She had recently given birth to her first child.
