A man arrested on Oct. 22 in connection with the shooting of a Democratic National Committee office in Arizona, allegedly had over 200 guns and more than 250,000 rounds of ammunition in his home, according to a state prosecutor.
Nobody was inside the office when the shots were fired in the early morning hours of Sept. 16, Sept. 23, and Oct. 6, and no injuries were reported. The office was shut down two days after the third shooting.
Authorities allege 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly fired BB pellets at the glass front door and a window of the Arizona Democrats’ field office in Tempe, Maricopa County, and then swapped to a firearm for subsequent attacks on the office.
Kelly was allegedly found in possession of a machine gun in a car he was driving.
During Kelly’s initial court appearance on Oct. 23, Maricopa County prosecutor Neha Bhatia said federal agents told her about the large seizure made after Kelly’s arrest.
Bhatia said the size of the weapons cache has led authorities to believe “this person was preparing to commit an act of mass casualty.”
Police found three .22 caliber bullet casings while searching Kelly’s trash, according to court documents. They also allegedly found rifle scopes, body armor, and silencers at Kelly’s home.
Kelly is also accused of hanging political signs lined with razor blades from palm trees in Ahwatukee, a suburb of Phoenix. Authorities said he also hung plastic bags containing a white powder labeled “biohazard” from the signs.
He is being held on three felony counts of acts of terrorism and four other counts related to the shootings, including two counts of unlawful discharge and two counts of shooting at a nonresidential structure.
A $500,000 cash bond has been set with a stipulation for house arrest and an ankle monitor if he can raise that amount. His next court appearance is set for Oct. 29 in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Kelly’s attorney, Jason Squires, said his client is a retired aerospace engineer who once had top security clearance, no criminal record, and is not a flight risk. He said his client’s firearms were all legal and were for sport-related activities, such as shooting competitions.
