Less than four months after the mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater made national news, a Missouri man allegedly plotted to produce a copycat event. The man, 20-year-old Blaec Lammers, was arrested after a tip was called in to officials by Lammers' mother.
In July 2012, a gunman in Aurora, Colo. killed 12 people and injured 58 during the midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises," an adaptation based on the Batman comics. The suspect during this massacre, James Eagan Holmes, used a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle and two pistols to wound and kill theater-goers. Neighbors described Holmes as "shy" and "kind of a loner." It seems that Blaec Lammers identified with that feeling, according to his alleged statement to police.
On November 15, 2012, Lammers' mother notified police that her son had recently purchased weaponry and she had fears that he may be planning a movie release massacre -- similar to the Aurora event -- during the showing of "Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2." Police apprehended Lammers, who admitted to purchasing two rifles and more than 400 rounds of ammunition. Officials stated that the firearms and ammo were obtained by legal means.
Lammers' statement to the police indicates that he intended to shoot movie theater patrons during the "breaking Dawn" showing. He also stated that he was afraid of running out of ammunition, so he planned to shoot people in the local Bolivar Walmart. He said would then use additional ammunition from the cases at Walmart to continue shooting until authorities arrived on scene.
In 2009, Lammers was institutionalized in a mental health facility for 96 hours after threatening a Walmart employee. During that incident, he had followed the female employee around, making threats until police arrived and took him into custody.
Court documents show that Lammers' had discontinued taking medication for a mental condition just before the thwarted movie massacre attempt. Officials plan to ask the residing judge for a mental health examination for Lammers, who is facing felony charges. Court records do not currently indicate attorney representation for Lammers.