A man allegedly threatened to commit a mass shooting at his West Melbourne, Florida workplace, according to police.
Marcus Anderson discussed the March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, with coworkers on March 30, when he expressed ideas about committing a mass shooting at his workplace, Mack Technologies, according to an arrest affidavit from the West Melbourne Police Department.
Florida police arrest Anderson for planning a shooting
Anderson allegedly told coworkers that he had 17 bullets for 17 heads and that his locker contained a backpack with 17 rounds of ammunition.
According to the affidavit, Anderson stated during the conversation that he had an AR-15 in his car.
Anderson allegedly told two coworkers that he would signal them before starting the shooting so that they would be safe, according to the arrest affidavit.
Marcus Anderson, 34, a homeless man, was arrested on Thursday for possession of a firearm with a short barrel, a felony of the second degree.
Anderson was transported by police to Circles of Care in Melbourne for mental health evaluation and treatment, and he trespassed from Mack Technologies, an electronics assembly business on Technology Drive in West Melbourne.
Read more: California’s salmon stocks decline as fishing ban appears to be imminent
Violent threats to two coworkers
Anderson remains in Brevard County Jail Complex on a $35,000 bond, and he will be arraigned on April 27 at the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center in Viera.
On March 28, after their conversation veered toward the recent school shooting in Nashville, Anderson allegedly threatened two coworkers with physical harm.
When Anderson was later questioned by police, he allegedly claimed that he was only joking and that he wasn’t serious about his statements, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states that when officers searched his backpack inside his work locker, they discovered a silver.38-caliber handgun with a loaded magazine. The AR-style rifle discovered in his vehicle lacked a serial number.
Police said he was arrested for possession of a short-barreled rifle, shotgun, or machine gun.
The bond for Anderson’s release from a local jail is $35,000.
Read more: Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old student; School authorities sued for $40 million
