A Phoenix man was arrested Tuesday for planning what authorities said was a “mass casualty” event in Arizona. Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was allegedly involved in four separate incidents of political violence. Police have tied him to a series of shootings at a Democratic National Committee office in Tempe, Ariz., as well as placing anti-Democratic signs with razor blades and bags of white powder attached to them in nearby Ahwatukee. During an initial appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said that a search warrant of Kelly’s home found 120 guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, body armor and a grenade launcher, the Arizona Mirror reports. Prosecutors said that law enforcement believed that Kelly was leaving his home Tuesday to “potentially do something.”
Tempe police would not elaborate on what led them to believe Kelly had larger plans. The prosecutor called him an “absolute threat to the community” citing the progression of violent acts he is alleged to have taken part in. Kelly is accused of shooting the DNC office first with a BB gun before moving to an actual gun in the second and third shooting. On Tuesday, law enforcement officers surveilling Kelly saw him placing signs that read “Dems kill Jews,” “Dems Lie” and “Never Harris.” The signs had razor blades and bags of white powder attached to them with the message “biohazard” and “F*** you! Play stupid games win stupid prizes! Guess the poison.” Kelly’s attorney, who has videos of himself at a gun range frequented by Kelly and has represented militia memberse, claimed that the car at the center of the case did not belong to his client. “You’re talking about a retired aerospace engineer,” attorney Jason Squires said in court on Wednesday. “He is a sportsman, he has a multitude of firearms as a sportsman.” Squires said Kelly’s weapons were all legally obtained and said that there were no grenades found with the launcher, making it merely a “tube.”
Comments