TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) – Arizona prosecutors say the man arrested in connection with the Democratic National Committee office shooting in suburban Phoenix had more than 120 guns and more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition in his home. Therefore, law enforcement said they are suspicious of the charges. A mass casualty event was planned.
Maricopa County Prosecutor Neha Bhatia said during Jeffrey Michael Kelly’s first court appearance Wednesday that federal agents briefed her on the large-scale seizures made after Kelly’s arrest. A scope, bulletproof vest and silencer were also found. A machine gun was found in the car he was driving.
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Bhatia said the size of the vault led authorities to believe that “this individual was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty.”
Police said Kelly, 60, is suspected of firing a BB gun at the glass front door and window of the Arizona Democratic Party’s field office in Tempe before firing. According to court documents, police found three .22 caliber shell casings while searching Kelly’s trash can.
No one was inside the building during the early morning shootings on September 16, September 23, and October 6.
Mr. Kelly is also accused of hanging several political signs lined with razor blades on Tuesday in Ahwatukee, an affluent Phoenix suburb where most voters chose Democrats in recent elections. Authorities said the suspect also hung plastic bags containing white powder with the word “Biohazard” written on them.
Officials said the hand-painted signs were attached to palm trees and appeared to criticize the Democratic Party and Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
Police said Kelly was being held on three felony counts of terrorism and four other charges related to the shooting. A cash bond of $500,000 has been set, and if he can raise that amount he will be placed on house arrest and wear an ankle monitor.
His lawyer, Jason Squires, said Kelly was a former aerospace engineer who once held the highest level of security clearance, had no criminal history and was not a flight risk.
Mr. Kelly’s next court appearance was scheduled for the morning of Oct. 29 in Maricopa County Superior Court.
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The Tempe location is one of 18 Harris field offices in Arizona, where Democrats have gathered to organize her campaign. Police say it was shut down after the final shooting.
Arizona is one of the battleground states where the race between Harris and former President Donald Trump is particularly intense.
Political violence has already marred the campaign season, with the Republican presidential candidate the target of an assassination attempt at a campaign rally and at one of Trump’s Florida golf courses.
