Chicago Gun Ring Traced to Mid-South College

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. - A Chicago man is accused of recruiting students from a Mid-South college to sell guns to gang members. Now one of those guns has been linked to a police shooting in Chicago.

Holly Springs, Mississippi is a small town with a population around 8,000.

Last year, a weapons trafficking scheme organized by a Chicago man and students at Holly Springs' Rust College was linked to guns that ended up in the hands of Chicago gang members.

Those same gang members shot and killed Chicago Police officer, Thomas Wortham.

The connection to Holly Springs was made when officers received a tip that a student at the college was in possession three hand guns. Cops went in, got the guns, and called ATF.

Shortly afterwards, student Quawi Gates was arrested for aiding and abetting and making false records for a firearms dealer. He also recruited other students at the college to buy guns in the state and send them to Chicago. Thursday, Gates received a 10 year federal prison sentence.

"Any time that we can take firearms off the street and prevent people from getting shot and killed, that is a wonderful thing," said Holly Springs Police Chief Robert Pearson

Pearson said Chicago may be over 500 miles away, but his small town has a connection with the big city.

"We have people here in Holly Springs that are from the Chicago area," said Pearson. "I think it's reasonable to assume that some weaponry will travel from Chicago here, and back to Chicago."

Pearson also said not only was closing this case good for Chicago police, but it also got weapons off the campus and out of Holly Springs.

"Those guns were taken off the streets and we can never say how many lives may have been affected."