NBC10 is reporting that Stacey Hayes, 55, of Philadelphia, who is the suspect in Monday’s shooting death of Elkins Park resident Anrae James, had his guns taken removed from him months prior to the shooting, but had them returned in June after asking a Philadelphia judge.

From NBC10:

Court documents show that Hayes filed a motion in April asking a Philadelphia judge to order police to return his property. In the document, Hayes wrote, “because the property was purchased legally by me, I didn’t commit any crime and I feel like the property should be returned to me because I am not a threat to anyone. I just want to be able to protect myself and my family if needed.”

Under a judge’s orders, police returned a 12-gauge shotgun with 12 rounds, a Panther AR-15 rifle and a Smith & Wesson pistol with three mags and 39 rounds to Hayes in June. An AR015 rifle was found at the scene of the James killing. It is currently unclear why Hayes had his guns taken away in the first place.