Politics
Arizona Democrats ditch campaign office after suspect is arrested in shooting incidents
Authorities in Arizona say a man arrested in connection with a string of shootings targeting Democratic campaign offices in the Phoenix area kept more than 120 guns at his home and apparently had been plotting a mass casualty event.
On Thursday, a source confirmed to NBC News that Democrats are no longer using the office, which was targeted in three separate shootings. The suspect, a 60-year-old man named Jeffrey Michael Kelly, was arrested Tuesday on several charges, including committing an act of terrorism, unlawful discharge of a firearm and shooting at a nonresidential structure.
And more charges may be on the way. As NBC News reported:
Police said Wednesday that additional charges may be filed in connection with plastic bags containing a white powdery substance hung on political signs that Kelly is accused of posting and lining with razor blades in the village of Ahwatukee, where he lives.
When he was arrested, Kelly had a machine gun and “numerous guns in his car to potentially do something,” Deputy Maricopa County Attorney Neha Bhatia said.
“The state and law enforcement believes that this person was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty with the guns he had,” Bhatia said at Kelly’s initial appearance in Superior Court, saying investigators also found multiple machine guns, loaded firearms, silencers, long-range scopes and body armor in his home.
A defense attorney, Jason Squires, warned against prejudging Kelly, whom he described as a retired aerospace engineer and a “sportsman” who had licenses for legally owning a variety of firearms, NBC News reported.
MAGA conspiracy theorists have helped turn Arizona, which has seen historic shifts toward Democratic politicians in recent years, into a hotbed of extremism — and a target for violent extremists outside the state. For the first time, the state’s governor, two U.S. senators, secretary of state and attorney general are all Democrats. And Democrats are now vying to win full control of the state Legislature for the first time in nearly 60 years.
A lot of far-right fury has been conjured up in the meantime. This week, an Alabama man received prison time after making death threats against Arizona election workers. And recent reports have highlighted the spate of violent threats that election workers in the state have been facing more broadly.
And now, in Arizona, we seem to have yet another example of an extremist who’s willing to deploy violent threats in an effort to intimidate those seen as opponents to the MAGA cause.
Ja’han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He’s a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include “Black Hair Defined” and the “Black Obituary Project.”
The president is seeking to kick-start a legislative effort just starting to take shape on Capitol Hill…
Read More
Members left their interview with the Microsoft founder and philanthropist conflicted about his legacy…
Read More
The Treasury Department could prevent a U.S. debt default for several months after that…
Read More
- Trump demands $350B Pentagon infusion, elections overhaul in next party-line GOP bill
- Lawmakers once saw Bill Gates as a benevolent innovator. After Epstein, they aren’t sure.
- US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict
- US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict
- Poll: Voter cynicism remains a potent threat to incumbents across the globe
- Trump demands $350B Pentagon infusion, elections overhaul in next party-line GOP bill
- US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict
- Lawmakers once saw Bill Gates as a benevolent innovator. After Epstein, they aren’t sure.
- US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict
- US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict
-
Politics1 year agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Uncategorized2 years ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
Politics1 year agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
The Josh Fourrier Show2 years agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
Politics1 year agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit
-
The Dictatorship9 months agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words