Lawyer for Teen in Killings Questions Gun Sales

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A lawyer representing a 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting three other teens at a party in Washington state over the weekend says the case raises troubling questions about the availability of guns.

Tim Leary, a defense attorney from Seattle, says that if his client, Allen Ivanov, had tried to go into a convenience store to buy a six-pack of beer he'd have been turned away. But police allege he was able to purchase an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle a week before the attack in suburban Mukilteo.

Police have not said where Ivanov bought the gun, but they did say he purchased a second ammunition magazine Friday at a sporting goods store.

Leary says it's concerning that nothing prohibits a depressed 19-year-old from buying a semi-automatic rifle, especially considering research that shows how the brains of young adults continue to develop into their 20s.