A Missouri man is facing a handful of charges related to what police said was a plot to shoot patrons at a movie theatre during a screening of the latest installment of the vampire romance series “Twilight.”
The man, identified as 20-year-old Blaec Lammers of Bolivar, Mo., was charged Friday with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action.
Lammers’ mother had called police over concerns about a recent weapons’ purchase.
"Thankfully we had a responsible family member or we might have had a different outcome," Bolivar Police Chief Steve Hamilton told The Associated Press. According to Hamilton, Lammers is under a doctor's care for mental illness. Court documents indicated that Lammers was "off of his medication."
It remained unclear if Lammers had hired an attorney.
According to a probable cause statement by police obtained by AP, Lammers’ mother called authorities on Thursday, worried that her son “may have intentions of shooting people at the movie,” referring to “Breaking Dawn: Part 2.”
Lammers’ mother was concerned that he had purchased two assault rifles and hundreds of bullets.
On Thursday afternoon, police interviewed Lammers, who said he had bought tickets to a local screening on Sunday, where he planned to open fire on moviegoers.
In their statement, police said Lammers also claimed he wanted to “just start shooting people at random” at a local Walmart store. Lammers said he bought the assault rifles and about 400 rounds of ammunition.
Police said Lammers told them he would continue shooting until police arrived, and would steal ammunition from the store if he had to.
The alleged plot is reminiscent of a shooting at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colo. in July. A gunman opened fire during a late-night screening of the latest “Batman” film, an attack that left 12 people dead.
According to the probable cause statement, police asked Lammers about that incident and other recent mass shootings. He responded that "he had a lot in common with the people that have been involved in those shootings.”
According to police, Lammers said he "was quiet, kind of a loner, had recently purchased firearms and didn't tell anybody about it, and had homicidal thoughts."
Hamilton, the police chief, said it appeared that Lammers purchased the two guns legally. However, investigators were still probing how he obtained a permit.
Lammers remained in jail in Polk County Saturday on a $500,000 bond. A Polk County prosecutor said Lammers will likely appear in court on Wednesday. Ken Ashlock said his office would request a mental examination.
“It was a good thing they found what they found and took care of it," Ashlock said. "Everything was there as far as the weapons. He did have the weapons; he did have the ammunition ... Those things were all there, and then he made the statements to the officer about what his plans were."
With files from The Associated Press
