OR - Samson Zebturiah Garner, 39, rock climber, arrested and charged with plotting mass murder at rock-climbing event - Portland, 19 Oct 2023

[ifindedout]

Oregon rock climber charged over mass killing plot at Smith Rock mountaineering event

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Samson Zebturiah Garner on Thursday and took him to the county jail on several charges each of attempted murder of multiple victims.

www.opb.org

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Samson Zebturiah Garner on Thursday and took him to the county jail on several charges each of attempted murder of multiple victims, attempted first degree assault, attempted second degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

Law enforcement recovered a Beretta 9mm handgun, a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun and an AR-15 from Garner when he was arrested. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office seized those weapons under an extreme risk protection order during the arrest, meaning the courts will take those guns away for at least a year.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said investigators had recovered journal entries with Garner’s belongings that indicated he was not planning to target specific people, but had a “generalized anger.” Court charging documents list potential victims in the case as “spectator” and “belayer.”

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Samson Zebturiah Garner, 39, was arrested Thursday after "evidence of a planned attack," including a rifle and two handguns, was found in his vehicle, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said in a media release.

Garner was allegedly planning to attack a three-day climbing festival taking place from Friday to Sunday at the Smith Rock State Park, NBC affiliate KTVZ of Bendreported.

In a 27-count indictment, the Deschutes County district attorney lists four victims Garner is accused of targeting as "Belayer 1, Belayer 2, Spectator 1, and Spectator 2." A belayer is a person who controls the safety rope for a climber.

The event, known as the Smith Rock Craggin Classic, invites “all levels of climbers, ages, races, gender identifications, and abilities” to a series of clinics, workshops and speeches. The festival’s organizer, the American Alpine Club, said it was made aware of the potential threat Wednesday and worked with authorities until it was resolved.

Smith Rock State Park in Oregon.

Oregon man arrested and accused of allegedly planning shooting at rock climbing festival

Authorities in Deschutes County arrested the man after "evidence of a planned attack," including a rifle and two handguns, was found in his vehicle.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Quim The Extraordinaire]

Beautiful area. The rock climbing community is dedicated and caring, in my limited experience.

The article in the first post:

A 39-year-old rock climber is facing a slate of attempted murder charges over an alleged plot to kill random people at a Smith Rock climbing event this weekend …. Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said investigators had recovered journal entries with Garner’s belongings that indicated he was not planning to target specific people, but had a “generalized anger.”

(BBM above)

Scary and sad. Glad LE intercepted this one.