CHICAGO – The father of local rapper Mellow Buckzz, who held an album release party before a deadly mass shooting occurred in River North last week, was indicted Tuesday on federal gun charges, court documents show.
What we know:
Melvin Doyle is accused of selling a Glock pistol to two confidential informants with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for $800 on May 20.
The transaction took place inside his home in the 5800 block of South Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago and was recorded on video and audio, court documents state.
Doyle allegedly arranged the sale through text messages and phone calls with one of the agents, who had previously bought a gun from him.
On May 18, Doyle sent a photo of a purple Glock pistol and later told the agent his “partner got that Gen 23,” referring to the weapon for sale. The two sides agreed on the price, and ATF agents met Doyle at his residence to complete the transaction.
Inside the home, Doyle handed the Glock to one of the agents, told them it was his gun, and was seen on video counting the pre-recorded buy money, according to prosecutors. He also mentioned plans to travel to Alabama and claimed he had five more firearms available for sale, including an AR pistol.
Law enforcement later determined the Glock had been manufactured outside Illinois and had traveled in interstate commerce.
Dig deeper:
Over the course of the investigation, agents purchased a total of 13 firearms from Doyle through similar transactions.
On July 7, after selling three more guns to undercover agents at a residence in the 6600 block of South Champlain Avenue, Doyle was arrested.
He had a pistol holster on his waist, $1,100 in his shirt pocket, and a cellphone used to coordinate the deals, court documents said.
Court records show Doyle is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms. His criminal history includes:
- A 1998 conviction for attempted murder in Cook County, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
- A 2006 conviction for manufacturing or delivering controlled substances and a separate conviction for delivering 15 to 100 grams of heroin, resulting in sentences of three and five years respectively.
What’s next:
Prosecutors allege there is probable cause that Doyle knowingly possessed a firearm despite his felony convictions.
The gun charges are not connected to the July 2 mass shooting outside Artis Restaurant & Lounge in River North, which killed four and injured 14 following a listening party for Mello Buckzz.
RELATED: Chicago mass shooting: 4 dead, 14 wounded in River North