Man charged with gun purchases connected to shooting of children in Minneapolis

Blaine man linked to gun purchases, children deaths

A Blaine man is accused of straw purchasing as many as 43 weapons over a nine-month span, including two guns used in the shootings of two children in Minneapolis in 2021.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Blaine man is facing charges for the straw purchases of more than a dozen guns linked to criminal investigations, including two of which have been connected to the shootings of two young girls in Minneapolis back in 2021.

Blaine man charged

What we know:

A federal complaint shows William Earl Burton of Blaine was charged in May, accused of straw purchasing weapons.

Authorities began investigating Burton after the ATF was notified that five weapons purchased by Burton had been recovered by police during criminal investigations. Agents say they later learned Burton had purchased at least 43 handguns over a nine-month period between November 2019 and August 2020.

Authorities say they identified at least 41 pistols purchased by Burton during that period. Burton had just turned 21 in October 2019, meaning all 41 pistols were purchased in the first year he was eligible to buy a handgun.

Guns connected to children killed

The backstory:

According to the criminal complaint, of the 43 total firearms purchased by Burton, 17 have been recovered by police as of 2025.

The criminal complaint details seven cases connected to the guns, including the shootings of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith on May 15, 2021, and 6-year-old Aniya Allen on May 18, 2021.

The girls were the second and third children shot in Minneapolis over a two-week span in 2021. Both girls ultimately died from their injuries, while the third child, LaDavionne Garrett Jr., had his life changed forever after being shot in the head.

Ottoson-Smith was jumping on a trampoline in the yard of a friend's home when she was struck by a bullet fired by a drive-by gunman. Allen was in the backseat of her family's vehicle when it was caught in a barrage of gunfire at 36th and Penn avenues.

What they're saying:

"This is the first time I‘ve actually gotten some hope in the four years," KG Wilson, Aniya’s grandfather, told FOX 9. "This is the first time I see some hope, some light through this whole justice mission of having this individual in jail that was selling these guns. This is the first thing that I’ve had."

Other cases connected

Timeline:

The criminal complaint lists five other specific cases that involved guns purchased by Burton:

• March 23, 2020: Man shot in Blaine during suspected robbery. A gun recovered at the crime scene was purchased by Burton just ten days earlier. Police say suspect description did not match Burton.
• May 22, 2020: A gun was found during a traffic stop in Minneapolis inside a vehicle carrying two felons. The gun was purchased by Burton in April 2020.
• July 4, 2020: St. Paul police responded to a group firing guns into the air. Officers found discharged casings and a gun in bushes. The gun had been purchased by Burton in November 2019.
• August 28, 2020: A garbageman found a handgun while moving a dumpster in Roseville. Near the gun, officers found a bag containing white pills believed to be oxycodone. The gun had been purchased by Burton 25 days earlier.
• September 13, 2020: The St. Paul Police Department found a gun inside a stolen vehicle. Police said the thief had fired a shot at the owner of the vehicle. Burton had purchased the gun in April 2020.
• October 11, 2021: Eagan police found a gun inside a vehicle during a traffic stop following a shoplifting call at Eagan Outlet Mall. Ballistic evidence later showed the gun had been used in the shooting of Trinity Ottoson-Smith in May 2021. Burton purchased the gun in May 2020.
• March 3, 2024: Minneapolis police were notified by security at the 4th Street Saloon that someone inside the bar had a firearm. Police were later told the gun had been stuffed into a trashcan behind the bar. Inside the trash can, police found three firearms. One of the firearms had been purchased by Burton in March 2020. Ballistics tests later showed the gun had been used in ten separate shootings, including the shooting of Aniya Allen.

Burton's home searched

Dig deeper:

In November 2020, agents raided Burton's home and learned he had sold most of the guns he had purchased. Agents say Burton told them he had sold most of the guns online through armslist.com. Records from the website show Burton had listed several guns for sale through the site in May 2020.

Agents later learned that between April 2019 and March 2020, Burton had only reported an income of about $10,000 and he was collecting unemployment as of July 2020. But, agents say, the guns he purchased cost around $18,000, which greatly exceeded his income.

In a Snapchat message, Burton told a friend: "…the only app [I] ever allegedly broke any laws on were snap and messenger but I just cleaned all of my messages… It would have been illegal to purposely delete alleged "evidence" so well let's hit go with I was worried about hackers… Cause you know how the law works of [if you] ever been to court, you always have to watch every word you say. Accidentally dry snitching on yourself or a homir [sic] is a real thing."

What's next:

Burton is being held in Sherburne County Jail as the federal proceedings play out. Burton was convicted of aggravated robbery in Anoka County in January 2022.