A man who built a firing range in the basement of his south suburban home took to Facebook and proclaimed his intention to murder police officers and “innocent white children” as a New Year’s resolution, according to authorities.
Those Facebook threats caught the attention of someone in Alabama who notified police, and late Friday Chicago Police officers swooped down on Aries Woodfin’s Ford Heights house and arrested him.
Woodfin, 33, a convicted felon with firearms-related offenses, told police he was a “warrior” after they took him into custody. Woodfin appeared in a Cook County courtroom Saturday, reports the Chicago Tribune, where Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. told him, “you are one dangerous individual” as he denied bail.
Police sources told the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune that “dozens of spent shell casings” from various weapons were found in his homemade firing range, which consisted of a large freezer and sandbags.
When police arrested him, Woodfin also told officers the “streets would run red with blood,” according to a Tribune source. Woodfin’s booking photo shows him clad in an orange t-shirt with the words revolution, freedom, justice, equality, criminal and other phrases written in marker on the front.
Woodfin is charged with illegal gun possession, assault, disorderly conduct and failure to possess a valid firearm owner’s identification card.
“We are organizing right now. The movement is real. This must happen for change to occur,” Woodfin posted on Facebook on Dec. 8, according to Cook County prosecutors. “Keep your kids close to you.”
He went on to write that he intended to kill police officers and white children. His Facebook profile has since been removed from the website.
Woodfin appeared in court on the same day a slain New York City police officer was laid to rest. Ralph Ramos and his partner, Wenjian Liu, were ambushed in their squad car on Dec. 20. More than 25,000 police officers from around the country, including Chicago, attended Officer Ramos’ funeral.
“The officers were slain in such a brutal fashion in New York could have been any one of us in our squad car,” Chicago Police officer Pat McGrath told CBS Chicago. “The bad guy got the jump on them and that’s an unbelievable tragedy.”
Prior to the murders in New York, the gunman posted a message on social media announcing his malicious intent: “I’m putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, let’s take 2 of theirs,” with the hashtag #shootthepolice.
In Ohio, a gang known as the Heartless Felons has issued an order for members to shoot white police officers in retaliation for police officers taking the lives of black men.
In light of these acts, Woodfin’s alleged threats were approached with a sense of urgency. When Alabama police learned of the Facebook threat allegedly posted by Woodfin, they contacted Chicago Police and the Bureau of Organized Crime began investigating, reports the Sun-Times.
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