A Florida man who sent text messages that he was planning a mass shooting and that “a good 100 kills would be nice” was arrested Friday, authorities said.
Tristan Scott Wix of Daytona Beach was charged with making a threat to commit a mass shooting after the Volusia County Sheriff were informed of text messages the 25-year-old sent about his plans to kill as many people as possible.
“A school is a weak target,” Wix wrote in one of the messages, saying he planned to fire into an open crowd and that he wanted to break the record for the “longest confirmed kill ever.”
Wix wrote in the messages he wanted to die but was hoping to “have fun doing it.” He also mentioned he was hoping he would meet someone who makes him change his mind and make life worth living.
Authorities did not specify who received Wix’s message, but in the message he wrote to someone saying he needed help in carrying out the mass shooting. The Volusia County Sheriff said they worked with multiple local departments to track down Wix, arresting him Friday in a Winn-Dixie parking lot.
Wix told detectives he didn’t own any firearms, but is “fascinated” by mass shootings. The sheriff's office said they are in the process of getting warrants to access Wix's home, and he is currently being held in a county jail without bond.
Wix’s arrests comes only a few weeks after El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio mass shootings that left more than 30 people dead, and after the FBI arrested a man in Las Vegas who threatened to shoot LGBTQ and Jewish bar patrons.
