‘Copycat’ arrested after making threats to shoot-up a Florida Walmart because he was ‘intrigued’ by El Paso and Ohio massacres
- Gibsonton Walmart in Florida received a call threatening to shoot-up the store
- Wayne Lee Padgett, the son of an employee, identified as the threatening caller
- Hillsborough County Sheriff said Padgett was ‘intrigued’ by recent shootings
- He was arrested and faces felony charges of a false report and making a threat
Wayne Lee Padgettsaid by police to be ‘intrigued’ by the El Paso and Dayton shootings
A Walmart was evacuated after a caller threatened to shoot up the building, less than 20 hours after one of the worst massacres in US history took place in a Texas store.
An ‘active shooter’ threat was made by the son of an employee at the Gibsonton Walmart in Florida on Sunday at around 1.17pm.
Wayne Lee Padgett was allegedly ‘intrigued’ by the El Paso shooting on Saturday and told a Walmart employee he was five minutes away and was going to shoot up the store.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office identified the 31-year-old as making the call after determining there was no immediate threat the store.
After deputies spoke to Padgett, he admitted to making the call and that he was ‘he was intrigued with the shootings over the last couple of days’, according to deputies.
Deputies said Padgett lives near the Walmart and his mother evens works at the store and she was working during the time of the call.
He was arrested and now faces a felony count of false report of use a firearm and making a terrorist threat.
An ‘active shooter’ threat was made to the Gibsonton Walmart in Florida on Sunday at around 1.17pm shortly after 20 people were shot dead at a Texas Walmart and nine people were killed outside a bar in Ohio
No firearms were found at Padgett’s home. He is unemployed and has no criminal history.
The threat, described as a ‘copycat’ by police, was made in the wake of two mass shootings this past weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that killed at least 29 people in total.
HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister told the Tampa Bay Times: ‘This type of behavior seeks to instill fear in people and it will not be tolerated.
‘After the events over the last week, we all fear for our safety to begin with so to have an individual who for whatever reason wants to be a copycat, or wants to instill fear in people for whatever that motive may be is disturbing.
‘If you make any type of threat, know that your sheriff’s office is going to take it extremely seriously, expend whatever resources in a timely fashion to find that threat.’
Chronister urged residents after the killings in El Paso and Dayton to report anything suspicious to the authorities.