Cops: Family Warned Suspect Who Set Off Walmart Scare

Dmitriy Andreychenko told cops he was conducting 'social experiment' at Mo. store
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 10, 2019 11:00 AM CDT
Cops: Armed Man at Walmart Claimed to Be Doing 'Social Experiment'
Dmitriy Andreychenko.   (Greene County Sheriff via AP)

More details are trickling out on the man cops says strolled into a Walmart in Springfield, Mo., armed with a loaded rifle and handgun on Thursday—just days after nearly two dozen people were killed at a Walmart in El Paso—and caused a panic. Per CNN, a probable cause statement reveals that 20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko, who police say entered the store with two firearms, a bulletproof vest, and more than 100 round of ammo, told authorities he just wanted to see how committed Walmart was to an American citizen's right to bear arms. "I wanted to know if that Walmart honored the Second Amendment," he said, per the statement. A police interview with his sister confirmed that: She told cops her brother had told her his stunt was "a social experiment on how his Second Amendment right would be respected in a public area."

He also told police he was only there to buy grocery bags and hadn't wanted to scare anyone. "This is Missouri," he told investigators, law enforcement sources say, per the Washington Post. "I understand if we were somewhere else like New York or California, people would freak out." The probable cause statement notes his wife had told him beforehand his plan wasn't a good one, and that his sister had reminded him that two high-profile mass shootings had just taken place in El Paso and Ohio. The AP reports he's been charged with making a terrorist threat, a second-degree felony charge that could bring him four years behind bars and fine of up to $10,000 if convicted. (Walmart has instructed employees to take down any violent displays tied to video games and movies.)

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