TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona officials said the man arrested in several shootings of a Democratic National Committee office in Tempe had more than 120 guns and over 250,000 rounds of ammunition in his home, leading law enforcement to believe he may have been planning a mass casualty event.
Police identified him as 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Autoridades encontraron más de 120 armas en la casa de un hombre acusado de disparar en la oficina del partido demócrata en Tempe
Kelly is facing three felony counts of terrorism acts, two counts of shooting at a residential structure and two counts of unlawful discharge in connection with the shootings, Tempe police said.
Kelly used same SUV while stealing election signs in 2022
The first incident happened on Sept. 16 when the DNC office was damaged by what appeared to be a BB gun, Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy said. More than 10 shots were fired into the front window and doors just after midnight. In this case, no leads were found on surveillance footage in the area, McCoy said.
Exactly one week later on Sept. 23, the situation "escalated" as real bullets were fired into the campaign office. This time, video surveillance showed a silver SUV leaving the parking lot at the time of the shooting, McCoy said.
"There appears to be an escalation here in his behavior and activity and the frequency that he was out and about in the community," McCoy said.
Two weeks later, officers responded to an alarm at the office and found three bullet holes in the building and surveillance video showed the same SUV in the parking lot, officials said. The surveillance footage was clear enough to be released to the public and community members.
"It was a Silent Witness tip that the public provided that helped us identify the suspect," McCoy said.
Officials said community members told police they remembered Kelly and the silver SUV from a 2022 incident in which Kelly was accused of stealing democratic political signs in his neighborhood.
"We were losing all of them, especially in the Ahwatukee area," Paul Weich, a former candidate for Arizona's 12th Legislative district said.
Weich's supporters hired a private investigator to watch his campaign signs. One night in 2022, the investigators saw a man pull up to a corner in Ahwatukee, get out and slice a campaign sign from its post with a knife. The video was later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"[He] got his license plate at that time and was able to do what investigators do and we turned all that over to the Phoenix police," Weich said.
Phoenix police submitted charges but the case was turned down, officials said.
"We did have a case with him back in 2022. There was follow-up and enough information gathered for us to submit for charges for one count of theft, and one count of political sign tampering. Both misdemeanors. The case was turned down for prosecution by the City Prosecutor's Office," a statement from the Phoenix Police Department said.
Weich said he looked through old footage of the incident to confirm it was the same man.
"We knew that, yes, this is the same guy because last night we went back and looked in the archives from the private investigator's report," Weich said.
Tempe police said that the case was critical in solving the shootings.
"Thankfully the citizens who remembered that incident saw our call for assistance and reached out to us and that was a critical piece of information that helped our investigators solve the case," McCoy said.
"The Tempe Police Department was able to positively identify Jeffrey Kelly and began active surveillance on him," he said.
Investigators watched Kelly put up anti-Democratic signs with bags of white powder hanging from them
Late on Oct. 21 into Oct. 22, investigators were watching Kelly as he hung anti-Democratic signs near his home in Ahwatukee.
"He attached clear plastic baggies containing a white powdery substance labeled biohazard to those signs," McCoy said. "Yesterday, we took him into custody."
"Let me be clear. Justice does not have a political party," McCoy said. "The Tempe Police Department will uphold the law and protect everyone no matter their political affiliation."
More than 120 guns found in Kelly's home, officials say
During Kelly's initial appearance before a judge, prosecutors claimed investigators had reportedly found more than 120 guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, body armor, a grenade launcher and a machine gun in the suspect's possession.
People living near Kelly watched as police and ATF officers searched his home on Tuesday night.
“They were ripping everything apart," Laura Scheller, a neighbor, said. “This is a sleepy little town, community right here. So yeah, you’re always surprised when there’s something that kind of violent going on.”
The suspect's behavior has been escalating, the prosecutor told the court, making him a potential threat to the community.
"This person was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty," a prosecutor said.
Kelly's attorney said the suspect is a sportsman who legally possesses the firearms.
Court records show that on July 19 the suspect allegedly searched online a street address on Southern Avenue that is the same address as the DNC office in Tempe.
The judge ordered a $500,000 cash bond for Kelly and ordered that the suspect be under electronic monitoring and house arrest if he posts bond.
Kelly's attorney argued against that amount, saying he had no prior record and possessed a high-level security clearance from his job as an aerospace engineer.
'All eyes are on us'
McCoy and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell reiterated that they will protect everyone "no matter their political affiliation."
"Arizona is in the national spotlight right now. All eyes are on us," McCoy said. "Our department recognizes the significance of this arrest and we want to reassure our community that when you go to vote over the next 13 days, we are committed to keeping you safe. We are monitoring intelligence and working closely with our public safety partners to keep you safe."
Mitchell warned that she will "aggressively pursue prosecution" for anyone trying to hinder the voting process.
"It is our duty to uphold justice and democracy," Mitchell said. "This means speaking out against political violence and those who seek to intimidate or harm voters or people who are participating in the political process.
"I want to be very clear as the Maricopa County attorney threats intimidation or violence toward political officials, no matter what party they are a part of, are completely unacceptable. These actions create fear and they weaken the trust in our elections and frankly they weak, weaken our system of democracy.
"We will not tolerate attempts to intimidate anyone involved in the process. Those who engage in political violence or try to interfere with elections or discourage people from participating in the political process. Will face serious legal consequences. We will aggressively pursue prosecution to protect our democracy and our democratic process."
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