Nicholas Scott Brown, a 19-year-old resident of Liberty, Mo., was arrested and charged for making terrorist threats in the first degree in mid-August.
On Aug. 12, the FBI contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office about a terrorist threat Brown allegedly made on the social media app Snapchat.
In the video Brown had allegedly posted, a white man waved a gun at the camera while threatening to go on a shooting rampage. “”I’m really f***ing half tempted to to think about running up in all these f***ing stores and just shooting everybody,” Brown allegedly said.
When contacted by the police, Brown was in possession of two loaded guns: a semi-automatic pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun. Court documents also say that Brown stated he was “very protective of his guns and if an officer pointed a weapon at him, he would point one back.” Brown is currently being held on a $100,000 bond in the Clay County Detention Center.
The incident with Brown is one of three such incidents of terrorist threats that occurred in Missouri in August. Early in the month, a 20-year-old man in Springfield, Mo. was arrested and charged after walking into a Walmart carrying a loaded rifle and wearing body armor.
The man, Dmitriy Andreychenko, is quoted in a police statement as saying he “wanted to know if that Walmart honored the 2nd Amendment”. Andreychenko is being charged with making terrorist threats in the second degree and could face four years in prison or a fine of $10,000, according to NPR.
On Aug. 17th in Jefferson City,Mo., 26-year-old Brian Groner was charged with making a terrorist threat. Groner allegedly posted “Your Next Mass Shooter. Columbine won’t have (expletive) on me,” on his Facebook page and it was seen by over 10 people. The post was set to be visible to the general public.
Groner also allegedly stated “The Columbine shooters were lame because they only killed 12 people. I could do better and kill more than 12.”
Although no one has been arrested or charged, in early August the Kansas City Police Department stated that they were investigating a potential threat, posted on Reddit, to an area Walmart. No further updates on the case have been given.
According to the Pew Research Center, active shooter incidents have become more common in recent years. After the recent El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio shootings, threats of mass killings have been on the rise.
There have been 292 mass shootings this year, A mass shooting is defined as a shooting where four or more people are injured or killed. Mass shootings have still only accounted for 0.75 percent of all gun-related violent incidents this year.
It is very unlikely to be caught in an active shooter situation, but if you find yourself in such a situation and hear gunfire, attempt to escape first. Be familiar with the emergency exits in places you frequent, and do not pull the fire alarm. If escape is not an option, hide and stay quiet. Call 911 if it is safe to do so and you have your phone with you. If you absolutely must fight, throw or use whatever you can against the attacker.