Arizona man arrested ‘preparing to commit mass casualty’ shooting at Democratic campaign offices

An Arizona man who was allegedly preparing to commit an act of mass casualty has been arrested for shooting up a Democratic campaign office.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday and charged with 10 counts, including the commission of a terrorist act, criminal damage and illegal discharge, the Arizona Republic reports.

Authorities say he is responsible for three shootings at Democratic Party offices in Tempe, the latest on Oct. 6.

No one was injured in the shootings, but prosecutors say Kelly’s actions showed an escalation of suspected terrorist activity and that he was “preparing to commit an act of mass casualty.”

He may also face additional charges related to an incident in which he allegedly left white powder on Democratic campaign signs and posted political signs lined with razor blades.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, has been arrested for shooting up a Democratic campaign office

Police said they began monitoring Kelly after receiving tips from the public that a vehicle captured on surveillance camera at the Tempe campaign offices during the shootings matched that of Kelly, who was previously accused of stealing signs campaign in 2022, Police Chief Ken McCoy said at a news conference Wednesday.

Officers gathered enough probable cause to arrest him in a traffic stop Tuesday, when dozens of police officers were seen surrounding his truck, McCoy said.

They found numerous weapons in his car and police noticed Kelly didn’t have his cell phone on him, leading officers to believe he was going to “potentially do something,” according to the Arizona Republic.

Authorities were then seen raiding his Phoenix home Wednesday morning, when FBI agents recovered more than 120 guns and more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Fox 10 .

A reporter from the Arizona Republic also heard mention of guns being found in the master bathroom safe and officers using the words “machine gun” and “silencers.”

Body armor was also found inside the home, according to court documents, as well as BB guns and rifles consistent with those fired at the Tempe campaign office on Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Sept. 6. October

Democrats later left the office for another in an undisclosed location.

Police reported three separate shootings at the Democratic campaign office in Tempe on Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Oct. 6.

Democrats later left the office for another in an undisclosed location

Additionally, a search of Kelly’s Google account revealed searches for the address of the Democratic Party office in Tempe and several searches related to the search and purchase of various firearms and accessories, including searches for a conversion kit for an AR-15.

His social media pages also disseminated numerous posts of what authorities called “anti-democratic ideology” and he made several small-dollar donations to organizations supporting former President Donald Trump.

Kelly was also allegedly caught hanging “anti-democratic ideology signs” at various locations near his home from Monday to Tuesday “with clear plastic bags containing a white powdery substance” with a label stating they were a “danger bioc”.

One such sign read, in part, “Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes.”

It was later discovered that the substance was just baking powder.

“He wants to scare the population. He is increasing his violence, and the State believes he is an absolute threat to his community,” a prosecutor told the court.

Kelly’s defense attorney, however, argued that his client was a retired aerospace engineer who at one point had a secret clearance through his employer, according to the Arizona Republic.

He said Kelly used the firearm as a “sportsman” and none were in illegal possession.

“I appreciate you being a sportsman, but I’m not sure what a grenade launcher has to do with that,” Judge William Cathon responded, Arizona Family reports.

Phoenix attorney Paul Weich said Kelly had previously been accused of stealing campaign signs when he ran for Democratic state representative in 2022.

Weich hired an investigator to find out what was going on with the signals and was able to catch Kelly in the act.

Kelly now faces two counts of unlawful dismissal, two counts of shooting into a non-residential structure, three counts of committing an act of terrorism and criminal damage to trees.

His bail has been set at $500,000 cash only and his release order included house arrest with an ankle monitor.

“I want to be very clear as Maricopa County Prosecutor: Threats, intimidation or violence towards political officials, regardless of party affiliation, is completely unacceptable,” said Maricopa County Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell .

Kelly had previously been accused of stealing campaign signs in 2022, when Phoenix attorney Paul Weich was running for Democratic state representative.

He said he hired an investigator to find out what was going on with the signals and was able to catch Kelly in the nick of time.

But despite the evidence, Weich said law enforcement did not move to arrest him and charges were never filed.

Weich said he now fears that Kelly’s ability to evade law enforcement at the time may have pushed him to act even more.

“We saw that he obviously felt emboldened,” Weich said.