Blaine Man Faces Federal Charges in Straw Purchase Guns Linked to Minneapolis Child Shootings

William Earl Burton of Blaine faces federal charges for straw purchasing over 40 handguns during a nine-month period from 2019 to 2020, falsely claiming on ATF forms that he was buying the firearms for himself. Authorities allege Burton sold many of these guns to criminals, with at least 17 firearms recovered in connection to various crimes, including the 2021 fatal shootings of two young girls, 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith and 6-year-old Aniya Allen. Ballistics confirmed that guns Burton purchased were used in these shootings, with Ottoson-Smith killed by a bullet while on a trampoline and Allen fatally shot while sitting in a car. Burton was already on probation for aggravated robbery, which prohibits firearm possession, and claimed to have sold most guns online. The investigation also links Burton’s firearms to multiple other shootings and criminal activities across the Twin Cities. He was arrested in May 2025 and charged with conspiracy to make false statements, making false statements during firearm purchases, and falsifying records during the federal investigation.