In Flint, Michigan, a 22-year-old man from Owosso has confessed to planning a horrifying act of violence that federal authorities have labeled a hate crime. Mack Davis admitted on Tuesday, December 17, that he was preparing to carry out mass shootings targeting a political party headquarters and a gay bar in the area. His motive? A deep-seated hatred for the LGBTQ+ community.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Davis had stockpiled a chilling arsenal of weapons and bomb-making materials with the intent to use them in a deadly attack. He pleaded guilty to one count of committing a hate crime, and since his actions involved an attempt to kill, he could face life in federal prison. A date for his sentencing hasn’t been set yet.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division expressed outrage over the case. She said Davis’s actions—rooted in hate and intended to harm innocent people because of their sexual orientation—are a direct attack on the values Americans stand for.
The Department of Justice shared disturbing details about Davis’s plans. He admitted that he had chosen his targets—a political party headquarters and a bar in the Eastern District of Michigan—because he associated these places with LGBTQ+ people. While the exact locations weren’t named in court documents, the intent behind his actions was clear.
Investigators found that Davis had spent nearly a year, from July 2023 to June 2024, researching mass shootings and idolizing known killers. He used search engines and social media to dig into the backgrounds of other mass murderers, even keeping journals and notes about them. In chilling detail, he also listed the weapons and tactical gear he already owned and what he still needed to gather for his plan.
When authorities arrested Davis, they discovered a shocking collection in his possession. He had two firearms, magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, arrows, and bomb-making components. Investigators also found a knife engraved with a homophobic slur, further highlighting the hate that fueled his plans.
His arrest came after he fired 60 rounds from a short-barreled rifle into his neighbors’ properties in Owosso. Local police took him into custody for that incident, and he was later handed over to federal authorities, where he remains behind bars.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of hate-fueled violence. It also highlights the importance of vigilance and intervention to prevent such attacks from becoming a grim reality.
