Michigan man 'infatuated' with mass murders to 'kill anyone and anything' sentenced to 7 years

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Photo from the Eastern District of Michigan US Attorney's Office.

FOX 2 - A Michigan man who prosecutors said became infatuated with mass murders was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for planning his own attack, said the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The backstory:

Mack Davis, 23, had targeted gay people, among others including political and religious groups. The Owosso man was sentenced after pleading guilty to one count under the federal hate crime statute.

In his writings, Davis expressed his "hate for this world and for the people in it, all people, I hate you all the same." Davis posted selfies of himself making a Nazi salute and holding a copy of Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic manifesto, Mein Kampf.

During the search of his home, police found that he had an arsenal that included an illegally sawed-off rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow and arrows, bomb-making parts, tactical gear, and knives. 

On one of the knives, Davis wrote an anti-gay slur on one side of the blade and "Death to you all" and a swastika on the other side of the blade.

Related: 'Vile and heinous': Michigan man admits to planning mass shootings targeting gay people

According to court documents, Davis was infatuated with mass murderers and planned to carry out his own. His journals showed he surveilled churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, hospitals, and supermarkets.

"Davis devised wicked plans. He said he would kill ‘anyone and anything’ that crossed his path and planned to attack homosexuals. And his venom for Jews is part of the sickening rise in antisemitism and attacks against believers. But we will protect every American,"  U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon said.

Dig deeper:

Federal investigators said Davis focused on attacking two locations in close proximity to one another - a political party’s county headquarters and a bar, both sites where he thought he expected to find LGBTQ+ people. He also explained that he would "fire on anyone and anything" near those locations.

Photo from the Eastern District of Michigan US Attorney's Office.

He posted on social media that "location 1," the political party office, was "filled with far-left liberal, F***** scum." He also wrote that the shooting would continue to "location 2," which he referred to as "a F***** bar." He also allegedly posted the results of his surveillance.

Gay neighbors targeted:

Davis test-fired approximately 60 bullets into his neighbors’ cars, one of which he had previously vandalized with an anti-gay slur.

Law enforcement’s investigation of the shooting led to their disruption of Davis’s attempt to commit the mass shooting.

Once police confirmed the gunfire came from Davis' home, they searched his house and found his writings about mass shooters and his plans to commit a mass shooting.

According to court documents, Davis admitted to vandalizing his neighbors' vehicles and possessing a short-barrel rifle that he modified, but he denied planning a mass shooting.

He was arrested by Owosso police before being transferred to federal custody.

"There is no room for targeted hate crimes against any citizen on American soil, including in our community of Owosso," said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "We are grateful for the strong collaboration between our FBI Flint Resident Agency, the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Michigan State Police in disrupting this hate-inspired plot before anyone was harmed.

"Let this sentence serve as a notice that if you target others with hate or violence, you will face the full weight of justice under federal law."

This case was investigated by the FBI Detroit Field Office, Flint Resident Agency, in collaboration with the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Michigan State Police.  The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division assisted in the prosecution.