Wednesday, police in Tempe, Arizona, caught Jeffrey Michael Kelly on charges that he shot at a Democratic Party office and put bags full of white powder on political signs.
Because the killings were political, Kelly, 60, was charged with seven felonies and three misdemeanors.
Tempe police say the charges include two counts of firing a gun without a permit, two counts of shooting at a non-residential building, three counts of terrorism, and three counts of criminal damage.
No charges have been made public about the bags of white powder.
Twelve inspectors, including FBI agents, were at Kelly’s house early Wednesday morning and were seen making a list of all the long guns he owned.
Kelly is also charged with putting razor blade-lined bags of white powder on campaign signs that were critical of Democrats.
Tuesday, first responders in Phoenix were called to a report of an unknown substance on election signs in the southern part of the city.
Police in the area told the news media that Kelly put up “suspicious bags of white powder from several political signs lined with razor blades in Ahwatukee.”
Police didn’t know if the event in Ahwatukee was connected to the threat of anthrax made at Kari Lake’s campaign office in Phoenix later Tuesday. Lake is running for the Republican Senate seat.
Local cops said that Lake’s campaign got an envelope with an unknown substance inside that was tested and found to be safe.
The event forced people to temporarily leave the building where Lake’s campaign office is housed.
Local cops found the front windows shot and damaged by what they thought was probably a BB gun or a pellet gun after midnight on September 16. This was the first sign that Kelly had done something bad to the Democratic Party office.
A week later, on September 23, during the overnight hours, there was a second shooting. This time, the office was empty.
“This makes me worry about the safety of people who work in that building and people who live nearby,” Tempe Police Sgt. Ryan Cook said in a news release after the second shooting.
On Oct. 6, the third shooting took place. While the shots were going off, no one was hurt.
Content Source: Suspect arrested in attack on Democratic Party office in Arizona
