Man, 22, arrested after taking FIVE guns and armor into Atlanta supermarket sparking fears of a Boulder copycat attack
A GEORGIA man walked into a supermarket on Wednesday carrying five guns and wearing body armor, prompting scares and concerns of a copycat of the Colorado grocery store shooting just two days earlier.
Police arrested Rico Marley, a 22-year-old seen sporting the armed ensemble at a Publix supermarket just after 1:30 PM on Wednesday in Atlanta, the same city where a gunman barely a week earlier killed eight people in three spas, including killing six Asian Americans.
The Publix manager called police after witnessing Marley enter the store bathroom with a rifle. Police met Marley just as he exited the restroom.
Among the weapons Marley was carrying included body armor and five guns, which included three pistols and two long rifles.
Marley prompted fears of a copycat shooting similar to the one in Boulder, Colorado this week allegedly perpetrated by Alissa Ahmad, where he is believed to have killed 10 people in a grocery store.
Police, according to Newsweek, had interviewed Marley, who then underwent a mental health evaluation following his arrest.
The Atlanta Police Department is also investigating a "suspicious package" left at the same Publix supermarket, but it was unclear if it was connected to Marley's arrival.
Police remained outside the supermarket later on that day, turning customers away from the store and closing one of the main streets in front of the store.
On Monday, Ahmad, 21,is believed to have used an AR-15 to killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a King Soopers supermarket.
Earlier last week, Robert Aaron Long, 21, was charged with eight counts of murder after he is alleged to have gone on a shooting spree at three different spas in Atlanta.
Six of the eight victims were Asian, but Long has yet to give a motive other than blaming his actions on "sex addiction" rather than racism.
Source: Read Full Article