Authorities in three different states announced having stopped three different potential mass shootings in recent days, CNN reports. And we’re like “phew,” rather than “how could there be that many potential mass shootings in a single week,” because it’s the United States of America, 2019.
In Connecticut, Brandon Wagshol “expressed interest in committing a mass shooting on Facebook” and was trying to buy large-capacity magazines from other states. Police found multiple weapons and body armor when they searched his home, and he had a history of racist and anti-trans social media posts. He is being charged with illegal possession of large capacity magazines—large capacity magazines being something that experts say are key to the rise of massively lethal mass shootings.
Florida man Tristan Scott Wix was arrested after sending an ex-girlfriend a series of texts about how much he wanted to commit a mass shooting, including one saying “A good 100 kills would be nice.” While Wix had very specific thoughts about where and how to stage a mass shooting, he had not yet assembled much of an armory by today’s mass shooter standards: police found hundreds of rounds of ammunition but only a single .22 caliber hunting rifle.
In Ohio, James Patrick Reardon threatened a Jewish community center on his Instagram account, with the caption “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O'Rearedon.” Because of course in the white supremacist’s fantasy of being arrested for actually committing a white supremacist killing, the police identify him by his fantasy uber-Irish name. Reardon had “a cache of weapons and ammunition,” police told CNN.
All three are white-looking men in their early 20s.
