As the pre-trial moves along for Anderson Lee Aldrich, the Club Q shooter, more information has been brought forward suggesting the massacre was premeditated. According to NBC News, Aldrich (they/them) made plans to become the “next mass killer” and may have been behind a number of hate speech websites.
The warning signs indicating Aldrich was up to something vile are eerily similar to those of the Buffalo supermarket shooter, Payton Gendron—from accumulating a number of military-grade firearms to being openly bigoted online and making violent threats, the two created a roadmap directly to their evil plots.
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Let’s look at a few comparisons.
Digital Footprint
Per NBC’s report, the FBI are looking into two websites flagged by Aldrich’s neighbor, Xavier Kraus. These forum-like websites were allegedly created by Aldrich and made for “free speech” where people can post hateful, racist and antisemitic memes freely and anonymously. On the homepage is a video advocating for the killing of civilians to “cleanse” society.
Doesn’t that sound familiar?
Gendron was previously reported to have left behind a manifesto based on the “replacement theory” suggesting that Black people are replacing white people in the US and should be eliminated. Ironically, the “brother site” linked to Aldrich’s hate page was actually where Gendron live-streamed the supermarket shooting, per NBC News.
Prior Violent Threats
According to AP News, Aldrich’s grandparents recalled an incident from June 2021 where Aldrich warned them not to get in his way of becoming the “next mass killer.” This plot included stockpiling guns, ammo, body armor and a homemade bomb.
“You guys die today and I’m taking you with me. I’m loaded and ready,” they recalled Aldrich saying.
In sealed documents confirmed by AP, a SWAT team and bomb squad responded to the house, resulting in not only the grandparents to evacuate but the residents of 10 homes nearby as well. The district attorney ended up dropping the charges against Aldrich without explanation and despite the red flags of Aldrich’s behavior.
Law enforcement gave similar treatment to Gendron.
His potentially violent nature was also overlooked when he threatened to carry out a school shooting a year before the Buffalo massacre. Following the shooting threat, he was put under a brief investigation by New York State Police, per NBC. However, he was sent to a mental health facility for evaluation and went home without facing criminal charges.
If Aldrich and Gendron both showed obvious signs of being threats to society, why didn’t law enforcement keep their eye on them? Most mass shooters from the past two years have shown similarities in their behavior leading up to a shooting. Now that there’s a visible pattern, will someone finally do something to help prevent more innocent people from being killed?
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