After a man was arrested for allegedly pointing a stolen gun at an ATF agent Sunday, authorities said they have linked the firearm to the February murder of a Madeira store owner.
Police arrested Lamond Johnson, 35, and accused him of pointing the stolen gun at an ATF agent and also "struck (the) victim in his vehicle with his vehicle," according to court documents.
At Johnson's court appearance Tuesday, assistant prosecutor Dave Wood said a national firearm registry search connected the gun to the Feb. 9 murder of Roop Gupta, the 68-year-old owner of Madeira Beverage. The suspect in that murder fled the scene, and police have been searching for him since.
Wood said Tuesday that the gun was stolen out of Dayton, Ohio, and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network returned it back to the Madeira shooting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to WCPO.
Johnson has not been charged with Gupta's murder at this time. He currently faces two felonious assault charges, one count of receiving stolen property and other weapons-related charges.
Johnson is currently awaiting trial in the Hamilton County Justice Center on a $1.4 million bond.
"The Murder of Mr. Gupta is a tragedy for all involved," read a statement from Madeira Police Chief David Schaefer. "We know the public wants to know more, which is why we are moving quickly to continue our investigation. We will provide as much information as we can when it is appropriate to do so. It is imperative that we protect the integrity of this investigation to help the Gupta family receive justice for this senseless act and bring a feeling of security to our Madeira community."
Anyone with information about the Feb. 9 murder is asked to call 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477) or Madeira Police Lt. Paul Phillips at (513) 272-4214. You can also email ATFTips@atf.gov or submit a tip here.
A GoFundMe for the Gupta family, which to date has raised $62,000, can be found here.
