Ethan Kollie Arrested: Dayton Shooter's Black Friend Accused

There were more details coming out about the Dayton mass shooter who killed nine people, six of whom were Black, in the Ohio city’s historic Oregon District last weekend. Connor Betts, 24, reportedly received assistance in preparing for the mass shooting from Ethan Kollie, a pro gun advocate who appears to be a Black conservative. Kollie was arrested and accused of buying Betts body armor and ammunition used during the shooting.

CBS reported that the 25-year-old Kollie is a “longtime friend” of Betts and “bought the body armor, a 100-round magazine and a gun accessory used to kill nine people, but there’s no indication that the man knew that his friend was planning a mass shooting, federal agents said Monday.” According to court docs, Kollie allegedly bought the equipment and kept it at his apartment so Betts’ parents would not find it.

Kollie also allegedly told investigators that he smoked weed and did LSD with Betts several times in 2014 and 2015. He supposedly revealed that he has smoked marijuana every day for 10 years.

Kollie is accused of lying about not using marijuana on federal firearms forms to purchase a pistol that was not used in the shooting. He was also accused of possessing a firearm as an unlawful user of a controlled substance. He is facing 15 years in prison.

Heavy.com uncovered several pro-gun tweets from Kollie. One read, “Thank god you have the constitutional right to carry a gun to defend yourself…. oh wait nvm UC took that right from you” and “Shooters gonna shoot.”

As far back as July of 2016, Kollie wrongly tweeted that Trump would lose his election because the system is “rigged,” which is a talking point straight out of Trump’s campaign playbook. See below:

According to Kollie’s mugshot, he is Black.

The motive behind the shooter is not clear. However, one of the victims was his sister, Megan Betts, who was allegedly shot with a male companion Black man. There were theories on social media claiming he shot her because of a Black boyfriend.

“U.S. media reported that his sister had been found dead in a car with her boyfriend,” the BBC reported. “But police said the male she was shot alongside was a ‘companion of the suspect’ and did not elaborate on the relationships.”

Betts opened fire in Dayton’s popular entertainment district. Within 32 seconds, he used an AR-15-style assault rifle and a 100-round drum to kill nine people and then headed to the bar Ned Peppers, which is reportedly a well-known bar for the Black community. He was reportedly wearing a mask, ballistic armor and carrying a black rifle.

The dead were identified as: