The Arizona man suspected of shooting up a Democratic field office and planning a ‘mass casualty’ event should be a huge wakeup call for America.
Tempe police, county attorney discuss arrest in Dem office shootings
Tempe’s police chief and the Maricopa County attorney discuss on Oct. 23, 2024, an arrest in three shootings at a Democratic Party office in Tempe.
It appears we’ve dodged the big one.
This time, anyway.
Police this week arrested the nut suspected of having repeatedly shot up a Democratic Party field office in Tempe and attaching razor blades and other niceties to signs attacking Democrats.
Police say a search of 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly’s car turned up a machine gun. Add to that, from a search of his home: 120 guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, body armor and a grenade launcher.
All legally acquired, according to Kelly’s attorney, Jason Squires.
“You’re talking about a retired aerospace engineer,” Squires said in court on Wednesday. “He is a sportsman, he has a multitude of firearms as a sportsman.”
Because, yeah, when Bambi won’t go down with an AR-15, who doesn’t reach for their handy grenade launcher?
Our leaders won’t do anything about guns, rhetoric
Here is where I would normally suggest that it’s time for Congress and the Arizona Legislature to consider some gun reforms that the vast majority of Americans would consider common sense.
Things like outlawing the sale of grenade launchers to private citizens.
But these are not normal times, and they haven’t been for a tragically long while — not since a pile of murdered first graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School a dozen years ago prompted our leaders to do … what did they do again?
Oh, yeah. Nothing.
Nothing will change.
Here’s where I might suggest that the esteemed candidates begging for the chance to lead us might dial it down a notch, in the hope of preventing a tragedy committed by one of the crazies within their ranks.
But I won’t waste my breath. They won’t.
Here’s where I might hope that the election conspiracy crowd and the professional grifters who spread poison in hopes of grabbing a few more bucks might … just … stop.
But they won’t.
Kelly was planning for ‘mass casualties,’ police say
We don’t yet know much about Jeffrey Michael Kelly, though I’m going to take a guess that he’s not a Kamala Harris fan. (The “Dems kill Jews,” “Dems lie” and “Never Harris” signs police watched him erect were my first clue.)
The Arizona Mirror reports that Kelly’s social media accounts show he’s long been part of the conspiracy set, back to the “birther” movement that ignited in 2011 when Trump cast doubt on then-President Barack Obama’s U.S. birth certificate.
As rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, hoping to prevent certification of the 2020 election results, Kelly changed his Facebook banner to a “Stop the Steal” logo.
Now, Kelly’s graduated from posting logos and pro-gun memes on social media to amassing 120 guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition and a grenade launcher in his garage.
And a machine gun in his car.
Opinion: Attack on Democrat office shows MAGA fear
Police say he was planning a “mass casualty” event and called him an “absolute threat to the community.”
Maybe he was going after “the enemy within,” as identified by Donald Trump.
Terrorists have been Republicans and Democrats
Lest you think that Republicans have a franchise on domestic terrorists and assorted nut cases, don’t forget Ryan Wesley Routh, who laid in wait for Trump last month at a West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course.
Then there’s Thomas Matthew Crooks, who in July attempted to assassinate Trump at a Butler, Penn., rally and succeeded in killing a bystander, though his motive remains unclear. He’s a registered Republican.
Still, here’s where I might hope that Democrats, predicting the end of days or a return to the Third Reich if Trump is elected might … just … stop.
But they won’t.
It’s tempting to start counting the days until this ugly election is over, except that I know it could get far uglier once the results are in.
Already, Trump and the grifting crowd are setting the stage to cry fraud.
No wonder Arizona elections have snipers
On Tuesday, Maricopa County officials warned that it’ll take 10 to 13 days to count the ballots — as it always takes 10 to 13 days to count the ballots, given Arizona’s election laws.
So, yeah, it must be a conspiracy, right?
“Election Emergency!” Info Wars’ Alex Jones blared out on Wednesday to his millions of followers. “Desperate Democrats Are Using The Same 2020 Playbook In An Attempt To Steal The Election AGAIN As Maricopa County Announces It Will Take 13 Days To Decide Election! Must-Watch/Share Alex Jones Broadcast!”
“Our system is broken,” Elon Musk piled on.
Really, is it any wonder that Maricopa County plans to have drones flying overhead and police snipers on nearby roofs as they count the votes next month?
(This column has been updated to include new information.)
Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz and on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz.
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Publish date : 2024-10-24 10:49:00
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