An Arkansas airport executive director who was shot and killed by federal agents during a raid on his home this week allegedly sold numerous firearms without a license, some of which were used in crimes, authorities said.
A partially redacted affidavit filed by an agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said Bryan Malinowski, 53, who was the executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, purchased more than 150 guns between May 2021 and Feb. 27, 2024, which he then resold without a firearms license.
The weapons included two-dozen Glock 45 9mm and AR-15 pistols, the affidavit stated.
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Bryan Malinowski, executive director of the Clinton National Airport, was injured and later died after a shootout with federal agents serving a search warrant at his home. (Stephen Swofford/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
The ATF said six firearms that Malinowski allegedly sold were found after being linked to a crime. Another three were purchased from him by undercover ATF agents at Arkansas gun shows.
One of the guns mentioned in the document was found in 2022, on a 15-year-old Norteño gang member in California. The investigation began in November, when a confidential informant contacted Canadian authorities and showed them a photo of weapons with visible serial numbers.
The firearms were traced to Malinowski.
Malinowski purchased the firearms legally and checked a box on purchase forms that indicated the firearms were for him. However, he allegedly resold the weapons at gun shows where he acted as a vendor.
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Images taken by an undercover ATF agent of Bryan Malinowski selling firearms at a gun show in Arkansas. (Justice Department)
The weapons were ordered online and then shipped to a business that was redacted on the affidavit, and he would pick them up there, it said.
Agents said several cellphones and electronic devices contained proof of the transactions between Malinowski and customers. Authorities also released an image taken by an undercover ATF agent of Malinowski allegedly selling firearms at a gun show.
Investigators even put a tracing device in Malinowski’s vehicle and followed him for several days. No charges were filed against him.
In a statement released by their attorney on Thursday, the Malinowski family said it has endured an “unspeakable tragedy and one that is almost impossible to understand.”
Bryan Malinowski, the executive director at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, was shot Tuesday as federal agents were serving a search warrant. He died Thursday, his brother said. ( Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport)
“At worst, Bryan Malinowski, a gun owner and gun enthusiast, stood accused of making private firearm sales to a person who may not have been legally entitled to purchase the guns” the statement said. “For now, we will wait for all the facts to come out. In the meantime, we ask that the public and the media respect our privacy.”
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ATF agents conducted a raid on Malinowski’s home around 6 a.m. Tuesday, when he was wounded in a shootout with authorities, officials said.
He died Thursday, his brother previously told Fox News Digital.
“Even if the allegations in the affidavit are true, they don’t begin to justify what happened,” the family said.
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