A 19-year-old man was arrested after a colleague at an Amazon Delivery Station tipped authorities off about his plan to commit a mass shooting.
Rodolfo Valdivia Aceves was reportedly arrested on June 27. He is charged with making a terroristic threat.
According to the arrest report, a fire alarm went off on June 24 at the Amazon Delivery Station on Sous Vide Way near Interstate 37 on San Antonio's Southeast Side. While other employees were leaving the building, the co-worker said Aceves told her that "it would be a good idea to pull the fire alarm and have all employees exit the building and to commit a mass shooting."
The colleague then reported to the investigators what Aceves said, "he will be doing it and he would commit a mass shooting." She did not immediately speak to her superiors about it due to fear of retaliation.
"This case highlights the importance of community collaboration and appropriate responses. This is the essence of 'see something, say something,' If not for the witness who came forward, this incident could have resulted in a tragic outcome," San Antonio police said in a statement.
Aceves' colleague also shared to the police the time she had taken a ride from him, when she said she had to pick up her kids at school, he allegedly said he knew where he was going to commit the mass shooting. She added that Aceves mentioned how he "idolized" the Uvalde shooter who killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school on May 24.
Meanwhile, according to Aceves' father, his son has had mental illness in the past and he had placed the defendant in a mental health facility when he was 16-year-old. The father told the investigators that his son had stopped taking his prescribed medication after being on it for the previous two years. Aceves' father also confirmed thathis son had purchased an AR platform rifle and that the family also feared Aceves knowing his past behavior. Police seized the rifle when Aceves was taken into custody. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Police have been taking all complaints seriously as mass shootings in the United States continue to emerge. There were 293 reported mass shootings so far this year, according to a report by the Gun Violence Archive. Texas is the fourth state with the most mass shootings, with 129 reports in 2022. There were 309 in the same period in 2021 which is indeed higher than the 240 in 2020.
