Man ‘preparing to commit an act of mass casualty’ arrested for 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 taken into custody during a traffic stop on Tuesday and was charged with 10 counts including committing a terrorist act, criminal damage and unlawful discharge, the Arizona Republic reports.

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

Nobody was injured in the shootings, but prosecutors say Kelly’s actions displayed an escalation of suspected terrorist activity and 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 bas of white powder on Democratic campaign signs and hung political signs lined with razor blades.

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

Officers gathered enough probable cause to arrest him at a traffic stop on Tuesday, when dozens of law enforcement personnel were seen surrounding his truck, McCoy said.

They found numerous guns in his car, and police realized Kelly did not have his cellphone on him – leading officers to believe he was on his way to ‘potentially do something,’ according to the Arizona Republic.

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

A reporter for the Arizona Republic also heard mention of handguns being found in a master bathroom safe and agents using the words ‘machine gun’ and ‘silencers.’

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

The Democrats later abandoned the office for another one at an undisclosed location.

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

His social media pages also disclosed numerous posts of what authorities called ‘anti-Democrat ideology,’ and he made a number of small-dollar donations to organizations supporting former President Donald Trump.

Kelly was also allegedly caught posting ‘anti-Democratic ideology signs’ at various locations near his home from Monday into Tuesday ‘with clear plastic bags containing a white powdery substance’ with a label stating they were a ‘biohazard.’

One such sign read, in part, ‘Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.’

The substance was later discovered to just be baking powder.

‘He is wanting to scare the population. He is escalating his violence, and the State believes that he is an absolute threat to his community,’ a prosecutor said in court.

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

He said that Kelly used the firearm as a ‘sportsman’ and that none were possessed illegally.

‘I appreciate you may be a sportsman, but I am unclear what a grenade launcher has to do with that,’ Judge William Cathon shot back, Arizona Family reports. 

Kelly is now facing two counts of unlawful discharge, two counts of shooting at a nonresidential structure, three counts of committing a terrorism act and tree counts of criminal damage.

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 the Maricopa County Attorney: threats, intimidation or violence toward political officials, no matter what party they are a part of,  is completely unacceptable,’ Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. 

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

He said he hired an investigator to figure out what was happening to the signs, and was able to catch Kelly in the act.

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

Weich said he now fears that Kelly’s ability to evade law enforcement back then may have pushed him to act further.

‘We saw that he obviously felt emboldened,’ Weich said.