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Mack Davis (left) and pride march
"He intended to commit mass shootings at two locations – destroying countless lives and devastating our community – all because of his fanatical hatred for gay people," one prosecutor said.
A 22-year-old man faces life in prison after he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to planning the mass killing of LGBTQ+ people at two locations in eastern Michigan, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced on Wednesday.
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Mack Davis, of Owosso, pleaded guilty to one count of committing a hate crime by attempting to carry out a mass killing at a gay bar and a nearby political headquarters he associated with the LGBTQ+ community.
In his writings, Davis called the political headquarters “Location 1” and wrote that it was “filled with far-left liberal, f*gg*t scum.” He called the gay bar “Location 2” and described it as “a f*gg*t bar.”
“Davis confessed to devising a plan motivated by his deep-seated hatred, targeting innocent individuals associated with the LGBTQIA+ community,” Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of FBI Detroit Field Office said in a statement.
“Davis’s plans were chilling,” U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan said. “He intended to commit mass shootings at two locations – destroying countless lives and devastating our community – all because of his fanatical hatred for gay people.”
From June 2023 to June 2024, Davis conducted online research and physical surveillance on both locations, writing of his efforts in physical journals and online blog posts. He drafted a list of gear he owned and would need to purchase to commit the killings and methodically acquired an arsenal of firearms, magazines and ammunition, crossbows and arrows, bomb-making parts, smoke grenades, tactical gear, and several knives. One of the knives was inscribed with the words “F*GG*T Killer.”
During the same period he was plotting his mass killing events, Davis vandalized two cars belonging to his gay neighbors, including one with an antigay slur. He also test-fired approximately 60 rounds of bullets from an illegal short-barreled rifle into the properties of his neighbors.
Davis was taken into custody in June after police responded to a report of gunfire from his home, local ABC affiliate WJRT reported at the time. Police determined the gunfire came from his bedroom. They obtained a search warrant and discovered his private arsenal and dozens of journals and other items detailing his murderous plans. While initially arrested by local police, he was later transferred to federal custody.
“This defendant amassed an arsenal of firearms, rounds of ammunition, and bombmaking parts that he intended to use to carry out the mass killing of gay people,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “This kind of vile and heinous hate-fueled violence, intended to target innocent people based on their sexual orientation, runs contrary to our values as Americans.”
Davis will remain in custody as he awaits a date to be scheduled for sentencing.
