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Grand jury indicts man accused of shooting at Democratic National Committee office in Tempe • Arizona Mirror
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Grand jury indicts man accused of shooting at Democratic National Committee office in Tempe • Arizona Mirror

A grand jury has indicted a man accused of shooting up a Democratic National Committee field office and posting anti-Democratic posters with razor blades and bags of white powder on terrorism charges.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was arrested for his alleged involvement in four separate incidents of political violence. Police have linked him to a series of shootings at a Democratic National Committee office in Tempe, as well as posting anti-Democratic signs laden with razor blades and gunpowder in nearby Ahwatukee.

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Prosecutors said they believed he was allegedly planning a “mass casualty” event in Arizona. According to prosecutors, a search of his home revealed 120 weapons, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, bulletproof vests and a grenade launcher.

Kelly is accused of shooting at Democratic offices on three different occasions between September 16 and October 6. He initially used a C02 weapon before upgrading to .22 caliber firearms, according to Tempe police.

Over the course of the three shootings, he fired more than 20 times, causing damage to the building late at night, according to the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office. Police received a tip that Kelly may have been involved after they released photos of his vehicle, which had been seen stealing 2022 Democratic yard signs.

On Monday, a grand jury indicted Kelly on one count of terrorism, three counts of discharging a firearm into a structure, three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm and one count of criminal mischief, all felonies. He is currently being held on two $500,000 cash-only bonds.

The indictment does not appear to include charges related to the signs police saw Kelly placing in Ahwatukee, near his home.

Last week, law enforcement officers monitoring Kelly saw him putting up signs that read “Democrats kill Jews,” “Democrats lie,” and “Never Harris,” a reference to Democratic vice president presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The posters had razor blades and bags of white powder attached to them with the message “biohazard” and “Fuck you! Play stupid games and win stupid prizes! Guess the poison.”

Kelly has only been charged with crimes related to the DNC office shootings, but could face additional charges stemming from the signs and gunpowder.

Kelly is being represented by an attorney. Who uses a shooting range? which Kelly also frequents and has represented members of the militia before. During an initial appearance last weekHis attorney argued that Kelly is an “athlete” who owns a “multitude of firearms,” adding that they were all obtained legally.

The Arizona Mirror found a Linkedin profile that appears to belong to Kelly in which he said he worked for Honeywell. His lawyer said he had top secret clearances for his work until 2020.

Kelly also posted unfounded conspiracy theories on a Facebook page found by the Mirror. As early as 2014, Kelly was amplifying the discredited and racist “birth” claims about former President Barack Obama.

On January 6, 2021, as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn former President Donald Trump’s election, Kelly changed his Facebook banner to the logo of “Stop The Steal,” the movement that fueled unfounded claims. around the 2020 elections. election results.

She also posted frequent pro-gun memes, including an Islamophobic one, and her profile photo is an edit of the infamous photo of Kathy Griffin with Donald Trump’s severed head, but replaced by Biden and with the caption “this is still funny , TRUE?”

The Department of Homeland Security has warned that election deniers are connected to the far right you can try to bomb the delivery boxes or commit other acts of violence in the coming weeks.

A probable cause statement against Kelly revealed that he is also under two separate federal investigations. Among the evidence uncovered by police were Google searches that Kelly allegedly conducted looking for the address of the DNC office. Police also noted that Kelly “has finances and resources to carry out further acts of terrorism” and frequently travels across state lines.

The car that Kelly’s attorney claimed was not his property was found on Kelly’s property, where it was covered with blankets. Police said it had recently been cleaned. Police also found two expired out-of-state license plates seen on the vehicle fleeing the scene.

Kelly also reportedly researched additional silencers and modifications for his weapons.

During their investigation, Tempe police found spent ammunition in Kelly’s trash that matched the caliber of bullets fired at the DNC office.

Kelly is due in court this week.

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