Waxahachie gun store burglarized overnight

WAXAHACHIE, Texas - A group of burglars smashed their way into a gun store in Waxahachie and stole weapons early Sunday morning.

The burglary happened around 2:45 a.m. at the Shooter’s Edge Gun Store on Highway 287. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the burglars used a red Ford F250 stolen out of Mesquite to ram the building.

Seven men in their teens or early 20s went into the store and took 12 handguns, three AR-style high-powered rifles, one AK-style high-powered rifle and one shotgun. They didn’t take any cash, the ATF said.

“The type of weapons that were taken weren't your normal hunting rifles,” store owner Chuck Edge said.

Edge served 33 years as Waxahachie’s police chief before retiring in 2014. He is concerned about the stolen weapons’ use by people who haven’t been properly screened to use them.

“All guns transferred through here have to have a background,” Edge said. “Even those ordered on the internet actually get a background check.”

Edge admitted he wondered if Thursday’s sniper ambush shooting that killed five officers and the burglary of his store were related.

“A crime like this would concern me whether the events in Dallas happened or not, but given the proximity and time, I can't say they're related, but with any other acts like that, you wouldn't be human if you didn't have that concern.”

Five of the suspects were masked. The ATF described the other two as a white male and heavy-set black male with short dreadlocks. All left in a white Ford four-door pickup.

Anyone with information about the break in is encouraged to call the Waxahachie Police Department at 972-937-9940 or Crime Stoppers of Ellis County. The FBI, ATF, Mesquite Police Department and U.S. Marshals are also helping with the investigation.

The store posted photos of the damage on its Facebook page and said it will be closed until further notice.