MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. — TMJ4 is hearing from the co-owner of Prolific Arms gun shop in West Allis.
It's where police said Tremaine Jones picked up part of a rifle-style weapon that he used to ambush two Milwaukee police officers last week.
Jones is charged with ambushing and shooting Officer Kendall Corder and Christopher McCray. Officer Corder died Sunday from his injuries.
Video obtained by TMJ4 shows Jones carrying that weapon near 25th and Garfield before the shooting happened. In the video, he's walking around the neighborhood with the gun screaming.
"For us it reaffirms the work that we need to do," Theron Rogers, Prolific Arms Director of Business Development, said.
Watch: West Allis gun shop owners speak out after firearm used in officer's killing was processed at their store
A week before that video was taken on June 26, and before Jones allegedly shot at police officers, he was at Prolific Arms picking up a piece of that gun.
"He ordered the firearm through a company called Palmetto State Armory, who is a manufacturer and also a federal firearm licensed dealer. So he ordered it through them and it was shipped to us in order to complete the transfer," Silas explained.
The transfer required a federal background check, which Silas was present for when Jones came in.
"He seemed like such a normal guy, right. He asked questions, he asked questions about classes," Silas said.
Silas said he and his team can cancel a sale, even if a background check passes. However, he said he didn't feel the need to in Jones' case.
"There was no red flags at all," Silas said.
Red flags these men are trained to find and teach others about too.
"As a black man in the community, in Milwaukee, as a black man in this arena, we absolutely feel an added responsibility and accountability to our community to provide accurate, reliable and trustworthy information," Rogers added.
And they're doing just that. Prolific Arms isn't just a place to buy guns, they also offer firearm training and education in crisis management too.
"At one time, we were them, we were growing up in Milwaukee trying to navigate the streets, trying to navigate firearms in our community, navigating drugs in our community," Rogers said. "Now that we've made it the onus is on us and it's our responsibility to return the favor."
Silas believes they have an important role to play in shaping responsible gun ownership in the city.
"We want to influence the culture of firearms in the city. I mean who else is going to do it?" Silas added.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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