Michigan man pleads guilty to plotting mass shooting against gay community

A Michigan man pleaded guilty to plotting a mass shooting targeting gay people, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Mack Davis, 22, of Owosso, admitted to federal investigators Tuesday that he attempted to conduct a mass killing of individuals at a political party headquarters and a nearby bar because he associated both locations with gay people, the Justice Department said in a news release.

“This kind of vile and heinous hate-fueled violence, intended to target innocent people based on their sexual orientation, runs contrary to our values as Americans,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Bias-motivated crimes targeting the LGBTQI+ community will not be tolerated.”

Davis, according to court documents, researched, posted about and paid tribute to mass killers online for nearly a year, as well as keeping a journal that contained writings about such killers.

Between July 2023 and this June, he began to plot a mass killing, federal investigators said Tuesday. He drafted lists of weapons and tactical gear he owned and intended to acquire to carry out the attack.

By June, Davis had crossed off every item on the list. He assembled weaponry that included two firearms, magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow and arrows, assorted bomb-making parts, smoke grenades, tactical gear and clothing, and several knives, one of which he inscribed with the anti-gay slur, “F‑‑‑‑‑ Killer.”

Davis settled on a plan to commit the mass killing sometime between April and June, the Justice Department said. He wrote on social media that he intended to strike a political party headquarters “filled with far-left liberal, f‑‑‑‑‑ scum,” and another location he described as a “f‑‑‑‑‑ bar.”

Investigators said he researched both venues online and conducted physical surveillance. He posted his findings on social media.

In June, Davis spray-painted the slur “f‑‑” on a car belonging to his neighbors, a couple he knew to be gay. Days later, he fired roughly 60 bullets into his neighbors’ properties, including the car, using a short-barreled rifle that authorities said he possessed illegally.

The Owosso Police Department arrested Davis for the shooting. He was later transferred to federal custody, where he has remained since, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 15 in Flint, Mich. Davis faces a maximum penalty of life in prison because he pleaded guilty to a hate crime that involves an attempt to kill.

Dawn N. Ison, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said Davis’s plans were “chilling.”

“He intended to commit mass shootings at two locations — destroying countless lives and devastating our community — all because of his fanatical hatred for gay people,” she said. “I applaud the work of law enforcement in disrupting this awful plot and arresting Davis before he could carry out his planned attacks.”

“This case serves as a stark reminder that there is no tolerance for hate-fueled violence,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, head of the FBI’s Detroit field office, which investigated the case with help from the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Michigan State Police.

“Mack Davis’ guilty plea to a federal hate crime highlights the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to uphold the safety and security of every community in Michigan,” Gibson said.