By the Associated Press:
Prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old man with making a terrorist threat in the second degree by causing a panic at a Walmart store in Springfield, Missouri.
Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said in a news release Friday that Missouri protects the right to carry a firearm, but that right does not allow an individual to act in a reckless and criminal manner endangering other citizens.
A probable cause statement released Friday says Dmitriy Andreychenko recorded himself as he walked in the store carrying an “AR style rifle” slung across his chest and wearing a ballistic vest. He also had a handgun on his right hip.
The affidavit says he said he was recording himself in case somebody was going to tell him to leave. He said he wanted to know if Walmart honored the Second Amendment.
——————————————————————————-
(previous story)
A post on social media shows a man who walked through a Walmart in Springfield with tactical weapons and body armor Thursday had criticized Walmart’s gun policy months before the incident.
Our sister-station KTTS in Springfield, Mo reports the 20-year-old suspect has been arrested for 1st degree making a terrorist threat.
The suspect posted on Facebook on February 16th saying, “It’s official. I hate Walmart. Apparently they won’t sell Rifle and shotgun ammo if your under 21. “New policy” However, I can walk into the store with a loaded .40 and nobody says anything. What a joke.”
The incident happened Thursday evening at the Walmart Neighborhood Market near Republic and Golden in Springfield.
Witnesses say the suspect walked into the store with a “tactical rifle” and another gun, carrying more than 100 rounds of ammunition. Police say the man was recording himself with a cell phone while walking through the store.
The store manager pulled a fire alarm, signaling people to exit the building.
Police say the man then made his way out an emergency exit where a former firefighter held the man at gunpoint until officers arrived.
Under Missouri law, citizens are allowed to openly carry a weapon without a permit, as long as the firearm is not displayed in an angry or threatening manner. There’s also no age limit to openly carry a handgun, long gun or any deadly weapon.
Police say security video from inside the store would be reviewed to determine the man’s demeanor and a possible motive.
Charges against the man will depend on his actions while he was in the store, said Dee Wampler, a longtime Springfield defense attorney and former Greene County prosecutor.
Carrying an assault rifle in public is not necessarily a crime, Wampler told KTTS.
Wampler says, “If he was looking at people in a menacing way or if he was saying something to other customers that was frightening to them — those would be factors.”
