Florida man threatened mass shooting at workplace, said he had '17 bullets for 17 heads': Police
Florida police allegedly found a handgun and AR-15 in his possession
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A man allegedly threatened to commit a mass shooting at his workplace in West Melbourne, Florida, according to police.
A West Melbourne Police Department officer wrote in an arrest affidavit that Marcus Anderson was discussing the March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, with co-workers on March 30, when he expressed "ideations about committing a mass shooting" at his workplace, Mack Technologies.
Anderson allegedly told co-workers that he had "17 bullets for 17 heads," adding that a backpack located in his locker contained 17 rounds of ammunition. During the conversation, Anderson also said he had an AR-15 in his car, according to the affidavit.
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The arrest affidavit states that Anderson told two co-workers that he would "signal them" before beginning the shooting, so they would be "free from harm," FOX Orlando reported.
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Anderson explained that he planned locations throughout the building and also said that he followed a technician from the company a few days earlier, and "debated murdering the technician," the affidavit states.
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When one of the co-workers asked Anderson if he was "serious" about the plan, he replied that he'd do it if he "got mad enough," the document states, paraphrasing the suspect.
When a police officer asked Anderson about the conversation, he allegedly claimed that he was just kidding around and wasn't serious about the statements. Anderson claimed all he said to the co-workers was "if I get frustrated, I be like man, I'll shoot this s--t up bro f--k this" and added it was just a general conversation.
In the interview with police, Anderson contradicted himself, according to the affidavit.
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"Naw I would never do that, like I said I would actually take it out on somebody, the person that pisses me off, not the whole building," Anderson allegedly told the police officer when recalling what he told co-workers who asked him if he was serious about the shooting.
Anderson allegedly told the officer that while he owns a .380 ACP pistol and an AR-15, he claimed to have never disclosed what specific firearm he owns. When asked if Anderson had any firearms on the property of his workplace, Anderson said no, according to the affidavit.
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The suspect later admitted that he might have a handgun in his backpack because he lives out of his car and is homeless.
When police searched Anderson's locker at Mack Technologies, a handgun was found with a "round in the chamber and a loaded magazine along with an additional box of .380 ACP ammunition," according to the affidavit.
Police then found an AR-15 rifle in his vehicle with a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine, the court document states.
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"When officers searched Anderson’s vehicle they also discovered an AR-15 style short-barreled rifle, with an overall length of 23.5 inches and no serial number," the affidavit states.
He was arrested for possession of a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, or machine gun, police said.
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Anderson is being held at a local jail on a $35,000 bond.