Upper East Side Dad Made 16 'Ghost Guns' In His Apartment, D.A. Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side man was indicted Monday on charges that he manufactured 14 guns and had a large stash of ammunition inside his apartment, authorities said.

Cory Davis, 41, was caught after he sent a photo to family and friends showing his 7-year-old son holding two guns, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

That photo, sent in a group chat on Nov. 7, alarmed one of the recipients, who alerted the NYPD and sent them the photo, prosecutors said.

Police then encountered Davis in a separate apartment that he used as an office, finding two guns and ammunition on the ground. On Nov. 8, the NYPD executed a search warrant at Davis's Upper East Side residence, finding another 12 firearms — including 10 semi-automatic pistols and two assault-style pistols, prosecutors say.

Davis had been buying gun parts and accessories online since June 2020, amassing items like training tools, concealable holsters and simulators, Bragg's office said.

Prosecutors did not specify the addresses of Davis's office or his residence. He faces four felonies, including criminal possession of weapons and firearms.

"The allegations make it evident that by manufacturing these weapons, Davis put not only the public, but a child in serious peril," Bragg said in a statement. "Using one’s child as a prop to showcase homemade, illegal weapons is inexcusable and extremely dangerous."

Since 2020, the Manhattan D.A.'s office and the NYPD have collaborated on a "Ghost Gun Initiative" aiming to crack down on the made-at-home firearms that some officials have blamed for driving an uptick in shootings.

That initiative has so far resulted in more than 80 ghost gun parts and 42 fully assembled ghost guns being seized, according to Bragg's office.

"Stopping the proliferation of ghost guns is integral to the NYPD’s comprehensive strategy to keep these illegal weapons from harming our communities," Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said Monday.