Mall shooting announced in advance: A man who was arrested Friday for allegedly shooting two women at a mall in Virginia apparently posted details of his plan on the imageboard website 4chan.org.
“Hey /b/ it’s time,” the poster wrote, referring to 4chan’s “random” section. “My name is neil Macinnis and I go to river community college in Christiansburg Virginia ... I’m gonna give ya’ll the details because the news never gets it right.”
The poster then wrote he would use a Stevens 320 Pump Shotgun with buck shots an slugs.
Later, an anonymous poster replied “show us what you look like? Name? Address?” and another said that “guys ... this is going on right now,” according to Wired magazine.
Media reports identified the man as Neil MacInnis, 18, of Christiansburg, who was taken into custody. He injured two women.
He faces two counts each of malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony stemming from the shooting at the satellite campus of New River Community College at New River Valley Mall, Christiansburg Police Chief Mark Sisson said Friday night.
MacInnis, who was a student at the community college, was being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail.
Sisson said authorities were still trying to establish a motive and any connection between MacInnis and the victims, who were hospitalized following the shooting in this town of approximately 21,000, less than 10 miles from Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
He said authorities are investigating online postings allegedly made by MacInnis prior to the Friday shooting but that he was unable to confirm whether those postings were legitimate.
“Today has been a very tough day for law enforcement officers involved, it’s been a very tough day for victims and their families, it’s been a very tough day for the suspect’s family,” Sisson said before reading a prepared statement at a Friday night news conference. He did not take any additional questions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
