Crime | shooting Police: Aurora Attacker Shouldn't Have Had a Gun Gary Martin had a 1995 felony conviction for aggravated assault By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Feb 16, 2019 12:16 PM CST Copied Representatives of law enforcement agencies attend a news conference Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, in Aurora, Ill., after shootings at a manufacturing company in the city. (Patrick Kunzer/Daily Herald via AP) Police say the fired worker who killed five people at a warehouse in Aurora, Illinois, was able to buy the gun he used because an initial background check didn't catch that he had a prior felony conviction in Mississippi, the AP reports. Aurora police Chief Kristin Ziman said Saturday that Gary Martin was issued a firearm owner's identification card in January of 2014 after he passed the initial background check. She says he bought the Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun on March 11, 2014, and that his 1995 felony conviction for aggravated assault in Mississippi wasn't flagged until he applied for a concealed carry permit five days later. That application process includes vetting using a more rigorous digital fingerprinting system. Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. Trumps ends trade talks with Canada. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Report an error