LUBBOCK, Texas — A Lubbock man was arrested August 1 after he threatened a mass shooting in Lubbock, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
UPDATED Story Link: New details on threat of mass shooting in Lubbock, pretrial hearing set for Aug. 7
According to the complaint, William Patrick Williams, 19, was arrested and charged with knowingly making a false statement while attempting to purchase a firearm.
On July 13, Lubbock Police Department was informed that Williams was admitted to Covenant Medical Center for a psychiatric assessment after making threats to commit a mass shooting, the complaint said.
According to the warrant, Williams said he had recently purchased an AK-47-style rifle and wanted to “shoot up” the Lubbock hotel he was staying at. He also said he wanted to commit suicide by cop when police arrived.
Williams was admitted to Covenant after his grandmother convinced him to let her pick him up and take him to the hospital.
When officers arrived to his hotel after he was admitted, they found an AK-47 rifle, seventeen magazines loaded with 7.62 ammunition, multiple knives, and a black t-shirt that said “Let ‘Em Come”, among other things.
The complaint stems from the address listed on the form he filled out in order to purchase a firearm on July 11. Williams had listed an address that he no longer lived at, and that he had been kicked out from weeks prior.
“The FBI worked closely with our partners at the ATF and Lubbock Police Department to prevent the defendant from potentially committing a violent act,” said Matthew DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office, in a release from the Department of Justice. “This case is a perfect example of law enforcement agencies coming together to find a solution that protected the public from harm.”
If convicted, Williams faces up to five years in federal prison.
