What started as an investigation into child pornography uncovered something much bigger. Police had been investigating Randall Drake for possession of illegal underage pornography, and after finding probable cause, they obtained a warrant to search his home. Upon searching the house, however, they found a large stash of weapons and strong evidence to suggest he planned on using them to attack a school.
A Future School Shooter?
Among the stash of deadly weapons, police found several guns, including a 12 gauge shotgun and an AK-47 (a fully automatic weapon), as well as a container of gunpowder, a silencer, over 2,300 rounds of ammunition, and a baseball bat covered in nails.
Even more revealing, they discovered a collection of maps and aerial views of multiple regional schools, such as Essrig Elementary and Ben Hill Middle School. Further, they found aerial shots of Hillsborough County's Water Treatment Plant.
As if this weren't disturbing enough, officials came across a handwritten note, part of which read "My fury at those who imprisoned me shall be vast and without mercy. I shall have my bloody revenge, and then the world will burn, burn"
'These are the people that are most concerning to us'
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told reporters that the biggest danger are these "lone wolves" or "sleepers" who are not on the radar of law enforcement. He compared Drake to the gunman who slaughtered 58 people in the Las Vegas Strip during a music festival this month, injuring hundreds more.
According to Sheriff Gualtieri, Drake "had no criminal history" and "named his guns. That's weird."
Adding to this nerve-wracking situation are the revelations about Drake's criminal past - or, more specifically, his lack of one.
Randall Drake lives with his parents, who alleged they had no idea about the extent of his weapon collection.
While the fact that someone can conceal such a vast collection of illicit weapons is shocking, the surprises do not stop there. Not only did Drake have no prior criminal history, law enforcement officials had no criminal intelligence on him.
Upon arrest, Drake was charged with two counts of unlawfully making or possessing a destructive device.
He was released on bond Thursday night, though according to Sheriff Gualtieri, Drake would be involuntarily submitted for a mental health evaluation.
This incident calls up a recurring national debate about gun control and how we can avoid shootings in the future, in the instances where we are not lucky enough to catch a shooter before he strikes.
