Daytona Beach Shores police officials said Tristan Wix, 25, threatened mass violence in a series of text messages in which he detailed plans to shoot as many people as he could in a large crowd.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office told WFTV the text messages included:
"A school is a weak target ... I'd be more likely to open fire on a large crowd of people from over 3 miles away. ... I'd wanna break a world record for the longest confirmed kill ever."
"I wanna open fire on a large crowd of people from over 3 miles away before I die and I need a spotter (laughing cry face emoji)"
"What you wanna do after the fact, is your own business, if you want to plan to escape we can work on that. But I don't intend on walking away alive, unless I see it fit."
"But a good 100 kills would be nice. I already have a location (laughing cry face) is that bad?"
"Ah well even if you told someone, me saying I wanna do it and think about it is not the same as actually doing it lol. Was kinda hoping someone would come into my life worth not doing it for, for the sake of all those people (laughing cry face emoji). I'm not crazy I just wanna die and I wanna have fun doing it, but I'm the most patient person in the world.
.@DBShoresPS arrests a man deputies say threatened in a series of text to commit a mass shooting. No further details available at this time pic.twitter.com/djs1oCi6R1
— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) August 16, 2019
Officials said sheriff's detectives and members of the Volusia County Crime Center worked with members of the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety and Florida Department of Law Enforcement to track down Wix.
Authorities said Wix told detectives he does not own any firearms but is fascinated with mass shootings.
Wix is charged with making written threats to kill or do bodily injury. He was taken to the Volusia County Jail, where he is being held without bond, according to officials.
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