Florida Man Arrested After Police Receive Texts Threatening A Mass Shooting

A Florida man was arrested Friday after police discovered texts of the man threatening another mass shooting.

Tristan Scott Wix, 25, of Daytona Beach, Florida, was arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office after officers were notified of threatening texts Wix had sent previously about committing a mass shooting.

“A school is a weak target,” Wix reportedly wrote in one text. He also expressed hopes of dying in the course of the shooting, but he would “have fun doing it” and “a good 100 kills would be nice.”

Following the arrest, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has been cautious about revealing further details, most notably withholding the source of the text messages. However, the recipient of the texts also brought up messages Wix sent asking for help in carrying out the shooting.

Wix was eventually tracked to a Winn-Dixie near Daytona Beach, where he was arrested in the parking lot.

After the arrest, investigators revealed Wix told police that he didn’t own any firearms at the time but he was reportedly “fascinated” with mass shootings. And despite Wix’s claim that he doesn’t own firearms, police are currently working to obtain search warrants for his home. Until then, Wix is being held at a county jail without bond on charges of making a threat to commit a mass shooting.

This is also the latest reported arrest in August following the threat of a mass shooting. One of the most notable came on Aug. 8 when Las Vegas police arrested a man who threatened to bomb and shoot Jewish and LGBTQ+ bar patrons.

It’s also the latest reported threat of violence since the mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas.