Federal agents arrested a 42-year-old woman Monday, Sept. 28, on charges she illegally purchased guns for the man who killed four law enforcement officers in Charlotte in 2024.

Natasha Renee Gibbs was taken into custody in Dallas by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to an ATF press release. A recently unsealed federal indictment charges Gibbs with two counts of making false statements when buying firearms from a licensed dealer and one count of illegally transferring a firearm.

Prosecutors allege Gibbs bought a Taurus 9mm pistol in October 2021 and a Radical Firearms RF-15 rifle in October 2023 from Blackstone Shooting Sports in Charlotte, Queen City News reported. She allegedly did not disclose the guns were being purchased for someone else.

The indictment accuses Gibbs of transferring a firearm to Terry Clark Hughes Jr. between October 2023 and April 29, 2024. Prosecutors say she knew or had reason to know Hughes was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.

The April 2024 ambush

Hughes was the target of a federal warrant when a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force encountered him in Charlotte's Shannon Park neighborhood on April 29, 2024. He opened fire from an upstairs window, shooting more than 100 rounds during a standoff that lasted about three hours, according to WBTV. Police killed Hughes at the scene.

Four officers died on Galway Drive that day: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Officer Joshua Eyer, Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., and North Carolina Department of Adult Correction officers William "Alden" Elliott and Samuel Poloche. The Charlotte Observer reported it was the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since 2016.

Whether the specific firearms Gibbs allegedly purchased were used in the ambush remains unclear, according to WSOC.

Federal charges and next steps

CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said in a statement that the department is grateful for the work of federal partners in pursuing accountability for those whose actions contributed to the April 2024 tragedy. ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones said purchasing a firearm for someone not allowed to own one can have terrible consequences, calling it "not a victimless crime."

The federal charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, according to the ATF. Gibbs is scheduled to make her first court appearance Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Don D. Bush in Plano, Texas. The relationship between Gibbs and Hughes has not been disclosed.

Residents with information about illegal firearms activity can contact the ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS.