CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. -- Cleveland County investigators said the alleged Gaffney serial killer reportedly sold guns out of his champagne-colored Ford Explorer last month.

They said residents south and east of Shelby who saw Patrick Burris’s picture on the news Tuesday called police to report they saw him selling guns in Cleveland County days before the shooting spree began.

Residents said Burris would ask people if they were interested in buying guns. One man reported he bought six long guns from Burris and another reported he bought just one.

Investigators said they believe the long guns were stolen from homes that Burris burglarized in Gaffney. Authorities have seized all the weapons and are trying to figure out which homes they were stolen from.

Burris was killed in a shootout with police in Gaston County early Monday after officers responding to a burglary complaint tried to serve a warrant on him. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents said the ballistics from Burris’s gun and other evidence tie him to five slayings in and around Gaffney from June 27 until July 2.

SLED and a number of South Carolina law enforcement agencies had been on a massive manhunt for the serial killer and the Explorer he was driving. That vehicle was found parked at the home in Gaston County where Burris was shot to death.

It’s not clear whether any stolen guns were found in the SUV or if Burris committed any crimes with the stolen guns.