Arrest made in connection with 3 shootings at Democratic party office in Phoenix suburb
A man has been arrested in connection with shootings at a Democratic party office in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe.
Police identified the man as 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly, who was arrested Tuesday and charged with 10 counts including committing a terrorist act, criminal damage and unlawful discharge, among others, according to Tempe police.
Additional pending counts against Kelly could also include ones related to an incident where he allegedly left bags of white powder on political signs in the area as well as hanging political signs lined with razor blades, according to court documents.
About a dozen personnel, some from the FBI, were seen at Kelly’s home on Wednesday morning taking inventory of guns found inside, according to reporting from the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Kelly made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday afternoon.
A prosecutor from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said Kelly was "preparing to commit an act of mass casualty." A court document, obtained by the Republic, said that Kelly's actions showed a pattern of escalation of his suspected terrorist activity.
Kelly's lawyer, Jason Squires, declined to comment to USA TODAY on Wednesday afternoon.
What happened?
The office that was targeted in Tempe served as a location for Democrats' campaign work. The building was hit by BB gun pellets and firearm rounds. No injuries were reported in any of the three shootings, which happened late at night when no one was at the office.
The latest shooting at the Democrats' field office occurred early on Oct. 6. The other two shootings happened in September and within the span of a week ? the first on Sept. 16 and the second on Sept. 23. All of the incidents occurred between midnight and 1 a.m. local time.
Police told the Arizona Republic that the damage to the office included bullet holes in the glass front door and a window. The Arizona Democratic party closed the field office in Tempe permanently and moved to an undisclosed location.
Contributing: Mary Jo Pitzl, Karen Bartunek, Jose R. Gonzalez, Skylar Heisey and Lauren De Young; Arizona Republic
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona man arrested in connection with Democratic office shootings