MERRILLVILLE, INDIANA — Federal authorities have charged Olivia Burgos with making a false statement while purchasing a firearm in connection with the 2024 acquisition of a 10-millimeter Glock 29 at the Range USA store in Merrillville, Indiana. Investigators determined the same weapon was used to fatally shoot Chicago police officer John Bartholomew on April 25.

Burgos told store employees she was purchasing the gun for herself, according to federal investigators, who allege she actually bought it on behalf of her boyfriend, a felon prohibited from purchasing firearms. Investigators also allege she falsely indicated she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the sale. Burgos told federal investigators she was addicted to fentanyl and was on the drug when she signed the purchase forms.

ATF records show the Merrillville store was cited for serious compliance failures on multiple occasions. A 2022 ATF inspection found that a background check was missing for one sale and recommended revoking the store's license, with inspectors finding no improvement toward rectifying more than six prior violations. Range USA managers told inspectors the store's antiquated paperwork system caused the failures and said problems would be resolved after moving to an electronic system. The ATF rescinded its revocation recommendation after receiving proof that the missing background check had been conducted.

Between 2020 and 2024, the ATF recommended revoking the licenses of three other Range USA locations, including two in Ohio. A 2021 inspection of the Dayton, Ohio, store found that an employee sold a firearm to a person who failed a background check. Company representatives admitted the employee had failed to follow store policy concerning illegal sales. In 2022, an inspector found that a sales clerk at the Range USA store in Lewis Center, Ohio, had falsified records by accepting an expired conceal-and-carry permit instead of conducting a background check. Range USA managers disputed that employees at the Lewis Center store had lied intentionally.

The ATF has issued dozens of violations against Range USA, including its Naperville, Illinois store, where the agency originally sought license revocation. Range USA told the ATF it was implementing a new policy to prevent illegal sales at Naperville, paid a fine, and the store remains open. All Range USA stores that faced ATF revocation recommendations remain open, and some have paid fines following violations.

Range USA was launched in 2012 by founder and president Tom Willingham and operates 50 stores in 14 states from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Coast, with outlets modeled on big-box chains. Federal regulators have repeatedly cited Range USA employees for failing to follow protocols designed to prevent illegal gun sales. Company sales increased by just over 5% in 2025 even as the industry cooled, and Range USA plans to open three new locations by 2027.