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Arizona man convicted for supplying guns in LA Jewish shootings

Eric Celaya purchased the weapons for Jamie Tran in January 2023, after Tran traveled to Phoenix to acquire firearms he was prohibited from buying due to previous mental health holds.

By Jewish Breaking News

A Phoenix man who illegally purchased firearms later used to shoot 2 Jews will serve eight months in federal prison.

Eric Celaya, 30, received his sentence on Monday along with 36 months of supervised release for buying two firearms that were used in the targeted shootings of Jewish men near a Los Angeles synagogue last year.

Prosecutors say Celaya purchased the weapons for Jamie Tran in January 2023, after Tran traveled to Phoenix to acquire firearms he was prohibited from buying due to previous mental health holds.

While Celaya had no prior criminal record and claimed no knowledge of Tran’s intentions, federal investigators revealed that Tran paid him $1,500 in cash for the illegal transaction, known as a ‘straw purchase.’

The weapons were put to violent use barely a month later.

On the morning of February 15, 2023, Tran used the internet to research locations with a ‘kosher market’ before driving to an area near a synagogue.

There, he shot a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke before fleeing the scene. The next morning, Tran returned to the same area and shot a second victim, also wearing a yarmulke, at close range before again escaping.

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Law enforcement arrested Tran on February 17, 2023, after a witness reported seeing him firing a weapon behind a motel. When questioned, Tran told officers he was ‘practicing.’

Tran’s history of antisemitic behavior is extensive. In 2018, he was forced to leave graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students.

His actions escalated dramatically in 2022, when he emailed former classmates with threats such as ‘Someone is going to kill you, Jew’ and ‘I want you dead, Jew.’

FBI records revealed Tran described himself as a ‘ticking time bomb’ and maintained social media accounts under the handle ‘k1llalljews.’

He also distributed antisemitic propaganda via email, including messages blaming Jews for what he called the ‘COVID agenda.’

In September, Tran received a 35-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.