Falls Church man accused of plotting mass shooting at Haymarket church indicted on federal hate crime
A Falls Church man accused of bringing a gun, ammo and knives to a Haymarket church last September with the intent of bringing “injury and death” to the congregation has now been indicted for a federal hate crime.
On Wednesday, a federal jury returned an indictment against Rui Jiang, 35, charging him with “attempting to obstruct the congregants of the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia, in the free exercise of their religious beliefs,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
“The indictment charged that his attempted act involved a dangerous weapon and an attempt to kill, and included both a threats count and a firearms violation,” the release said.
According to court documents, Jiang began posting online threats against the Park Valley Church on the evening of Sept. 23. On the morning of Sept. 24, police began searching for Jiang in response to a concerned citizen’s call about his online posts.
Police officers located Jiang at the front entrance to the Park Valley Church while Sunday services were underway.
Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun and two full magazines of ammunition, court documents show.
During a search of Jiang’s apartment, police discovered five copies of a letter, each signed, which read in part, “To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do. May your tears not be cried in vain, but to celebrate how your loved ones had lived,” according to the release.
Jiang was arrested and detained by Prince William County police on Sept. 24.
If convicted, Jiang faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.