Suspected perpetrator of Arizona DNC office shootings reportedly exhibited signs, displaying bags containing a white, powdery material, as per authorities.
(CNN) — Arizona detectives monitoring the individual implicated in firing at the Democratic National Committee office in a Phoenix suburb's vicinity discovered him posting political banners with bags filled with a white, powdery material, authorities claimed.
Investigators from Tempe began keeping tabs on John Michael Kelly, 60, as a potential suspect in three separate DNC office shootings, after receiving leads from the public, according to Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy at a press conference on Wednesday.
Kelly was observed attaching the banners with bags attached to them from late Monday to early Tuesday morning, the chief revealed.
Kelly was taken into custody on Tuesday and is being held on three counts of terrorism-related acts and four further charges pertaining to the shootings.
He will remain in custody on a $500,000 cash bond and will be subject to electronic monitoring if he can post the required amount, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced at the press conference.
Kelly may be charged with additional offenses related to the white, powdery substance, McCoy suggested. However, the exact nature of the substance was yet to be identified.
Three shooting incidents
Kelly is accused of attacking the DNC office in Tempe on three separate occasions.
First, on September 16, around midnight, Kelly unleashed more than ten shots from a BB gun at the building's front doors and windows, as per McCoy.
A week later, on September 23, around the same time, around six shots were fired at the building, causing damage to the front windows and office signs, the chief stated.
“In this instance, the situation escalated to the use of real bullets,” McCoy said.
Surveillance footage from the second occurrence showed a silver Toyota SUV departing the parking lot shortly after the shots were fired.
Two weeks later, on October 6, shortly after midnight, a glass break alarm was triggered, and responding officers discovered three bullet hits on the front of the building, McCoy disclosed.
The same silver SUV was spotted in surveillance footage, the chief added.
“Threats, intimidation or violence towards political figures, regardless of their affiliation, are completely unacceptable,” Mitchell said. “These acts foster fear and undermine trust in our electoral process, and ultimately, they weaken our democracy.”
“Our department realizes the gravity of this arrest and wishes to reassure our community that their safety will be our priority when they vote over the next 13 days,” McCoy said, condemning political violence.
Officials suspect a ‘potential mass casualty event’ due to weapons cache
Over 120 firearms and more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition were found at Kelly’s residence following his arrest, prosecutors said during Kelly’s initial court appearance on Wednesday.
Authorities believe that Kelly may have been planning a mass casualty incident, prosecutors hinted.
“Of course, such a high quantity of guns, coupled with this quantity of ammunition, are factors that would warrant consideration,” Mitchell mentioned at the press conference.
Kelly was under investigation for the 2022 theft of political banners, but “I don’t think charges were filed against him at that time,” McCoy clarified.
“We are continuing our investigation to ascertain if Kelly had any other plans in store,” McCoy added.
“Those who engage in political violence or interfere with elections or discourage people from participating in the political process will face significant legal penalties. We will vigorously pursue prosecution to safeguard our democracy and its electoral process,” Mitchell warned.
The Arizona Democratic Party remains “unwavering in its resolve and continues its efforts to ensure that voters in the East Valley turn out in large numbers from now until Election Day,” a party representative stated.
The investigators from the US, specifically Tempe, kept tabs on John Michael Kelly due to his potential involvement in the three DNC office shootings.
After his arrest, authorities found over 120 firearms and over 250,000 rounds of ammunition at Kelly's residence, leading officials to suspect a potential mass casualty event.
