MINNEAPOLIS — A concerned citizen’s report led to multiple federal weapons charges against a man who the Federal Bureau of Investigation said was “pro mass shooting.”
River Smith, 20, of Savage, Minnesota, was charged with one count of possession of a machine gun and one count of attempting to receive and possess unregistered destructive devices, specifically hand grenades, the Justice Department announced Thursday, Dec. 15.
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The charges stem from Sept. 27, when a concerned citizen reported “disturbing behavior” from a man who authorities later identified as Smith, court documents outline.
While investigating the tip, agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force said they found evidence Smith was preparing for “a violent exchange with police,” and admired American mass shooters.
“Smith stated that he is ‘pro mass shooting,’ sympathized with the Parkland school shooter and expressed admiration for the individual charged with the recent shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub,” a news release from the Justice Department reads.
The investigation also found that Smith had access to fully automatic rifles, handguns, suppressors, body armor and a Kevlar helmet, and that he had made statements he was dedicated to dying in a fight with police.
The FBI said that Smith asked a government informant for grenades as well as an illegal part to convert his AR-15 style rifle into a fully automatic machine gun.
In a separate meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14, which was arranged under the supervision of law enforcement, Smith purchased three hand grenades and four auto sears — a small device to convert a semi-automatic weapon to an automatic weapon — from the government informant. He was arrested during the meeting.
During a federal court appearance in Minneapolis on Thursday, Magistrate Judge David Schutz ordered Smith remain in detention pending further proceedings.
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Possessing a machine gun and possessing an unregistered destructive device each carry a maximum sentence of up to a decade in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000. Smith’s next court appearance has not yet been set.
The Trust Project
