UTAH
Denver man posting threats to kill “as many girls as I see” arrested in Provo
Jan 20, 2019, 7:49 PM | Updated: 7:54 pm
Christopher Cleary. (Credit: Provo City Police Department)
(Credit: Provo City Police Department)
PROVO — Facebook posts containing threats to become “the next mass shooter” and kill “as many girls as I see” led to the arrest of 27-year-old Christopher Cleary on Saturday morning.
Cleary, a Colorado resident who was visiting Provo, was booked into Utah County Jail for investigation of threats of terrorism and for allegedly violating parole in Colorado, according to court documents.
According to a jail affidavit, the arrest came following an expedited joint effort by law enforcement and FBI agents in Colorado and Utah. Colorado law enforcement contacted Provo police about the Facebook posts early Saturday morning, the affidavit states.
“All I wanted was a girlfriend. … All I wanted was to be loved, yet no one cares about me I’m 27 years old and I’ve never had a girlfriend before and I’m still a virgin, this is why I’m planning on shooting up a public place soon and being the next mass shooter cause I’m ready to die and all the girls the turned me down is going to make it right by killing as many girls as I see,” one of the posts read, according to the affidavit.
Another post warned, “Theres nothing more dangerous than man ready to die.”
The jail affidavit also noted the timing of the posts as particularly troubling, reading “An additional concern had to do with several Women’s Marches taking place in various locations throughout the state today, including a march in Provo, and another in Salt Lake City.”
The posts were tied to an IP address in Provo, but police didn’t locate Cleary there. Together, FBI agents in both Colorado and Utah tracked Cleary’s phone to a McDonalds at 1225 S. University Ave, where he was arrested by a detective from the Utah County Major Crime Task Force and an FBI agent.
Cleary allegedly told police in an interview that he was “upset and not thinking clearly” when he wrote the posts and explained he later deleted them because of threats he said he received in response. The affidavit also noted that Cleary made suicidal comments and seemed to have “a problem with impulse control.”
The affidavit also quotes a Colorado probation officer telling Provo Police that “this is a pattern of behavior with Cleary where he is on probation for felony stalking and threatening of women.”
Law enforcement in Colorado indicated they will seek extradition for Cleary. He is being held without bail.
