It all sounds too familiar.
Some four months after the tragic massacre at a Dark Knight Rises screening in Aurora, Colo., which killed 12 people, a 20-year-old man in Missouri has been charged with plotting a similar shooting that was to take place this weekend at a screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that Blaec Lammers of Bolivar, Mo., confessed his plan to authorities, adding that he had purchased 400 rounds of ammunition.
Police Sgt. Shawn Curtis tells Celebuzz that the bond has been set at $500,000.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 opened in theaters in the U.S. on Friday.
According to Josh Booth at Polk County Jail, where Lammers is being housed, “he is cooperating with police” and is currently in a cell with other inmates.
In a probable cause statement obtained by Celebuzz, authorities say that Lammers’ mother had contacted local police the night before, with concerns that her son had purchased weapons and might have been planning a movie theater shooting.
On Friday morning, after agreeing to be interviewed at the police station, Lammers told officials that he had purchased two assault rifles for hunting. He then commented on the recent shootings that had been in the news.
“Blaec Lammers stated that he had a lot in common with the people that have been involved in those shootings. Blaec Lammers state that he was quiet, kind of a loner, had recently purchased firearms and didn’t tell anybody about it, and had homicidal thoughts,” officers said in the statement.
Lammers later revealed that he had purchased tickets to a Sunday screening of the latest Twilight film, and that his new firearms were bought with the intention of shooting people at the cinema that night.
The probable cause statement reads as follows:
On 11-15-2012 Officers received information that Blaec Lammers had recently purchased two assault type rifles and was off of his medication. Blaec Lammers had previously stated that he wanted to stab a Wal-Mart employee to death and went to Wal-Mart and followed an employee around the store before he was contacted by officers. This incident was in 2009. Blaec Lammers’ mother contacted us on 11-15-2012 and stated that she was concerned sue to the fact that the weapons that her son had purchased were very similar to the ones used in the Aurora Colorado movie theatre shooting. His mother further stated that with the opening of the new Twilight movie she was concerned that Blaec Lammers may have intentions of shooting people at the movie.
On 11-15-2012 Officer Sly made contact with Blaec Lammers at Sonic in Bolivar Missouri. Blaec Lammers agreed to come to the police department and speak with me about the incident. Upon arrival I read Blaec Lammers his Miranda warnings and he stated that he understood them and would speak with me. I asked Blaec Lammers about his recent purchases of two assault rifle type firearms. Blaec Lammers stated that he was going to go hunting with the guns but then found out that you have to take classes and things before you can go hunting and he didn’t take any classes. I told Blaec Lammers that was odd due to the fact that he had already told me he knew he had to have the classes before he went hunting. Blaec Lammers and I then began talking about recent shootings that have been in the news. Blaec Lammers stated that he had a lot in common with the people that have been involved in those shootings. Blaec Lammers stated that he was quiet, kind of a loner, had recently purchased firearms and didn’t tell anybody about it, and had homicidal thoughts. Blaec Lammers further stated that he had purchased the firearms with the intentions of shooting up the movie theater in Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri, 65613 on 11-18-2012. Blaec Lammers stated that he had purchased tickets to go see the Twilight Movie on 11-18-2012 and on that night.
Blaec Lammers stated that he then got to thinking about it and realized that he might run out of ammunition so he decided that he would go and shoot people at Wal-Mart in Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri. Blaec Lammers stated that he would walk into the store and just start shooting people at random and if he ran out of ammunition (he said he purchased 400 rounds) he would just break the glass where the ammunition is being stored and get some more and keep on shooting until the police arrived. Blaec Lammers then stated that he would then turn himself into police when they arrived.
Blaec Lammers stated that he had gotten one gun on Monday and another gun on Tuesday. Blaec Lammers stated that when he got the guns on Tuesday he went to Aldrich Missouri to practice shoot. Blaec Lammers stated that he had never shot a gun before and wanted to make sure he knew how they shot and how they functioned.
The plot is eerily reminiscent of the Dark Knight Rises shooting on July 20, when James Holmes allegedly opened fire at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colo., during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Holmes was arrested moments after the shooting, which killed 12 people and injured 58 others.
