DENVER -- The FBI says a 72-hour mental health hold that was once issued for the man who fatally shot a Colorado deputy probably didn't make it illegal for him to buy guns.
FBI spokesman Stephen G. Fischer Jr. said Friday the mental health hold issued in 2014 for Matthew Riehl was likely just to keep him under observation.
Federally licensed dealers cannot sell guns to people if a court or another authority has determined they're a danger to themselves or others. People who've been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric institution are also ineligible.
Nothing made public about Riehl so far appears to meet those standards.
A Veterans Affairs Department document and police reports say Riehl, an Army veteran, had mental health problems.
Police killed Riehl after he fatally wounded Deputy Zackari Parrish Sunday. Parrish's funeral service was held Friday.
