A 26-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday near the Maryland home of United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for attempted murder.
A Deeply Disturbed Man At A Justice's Home
ABC News reported that the man, Nicholas John Roske, descended a cab near the home of Justice Kavanaugh carrying a black backpack at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. Roske, which the media outlet described as a "deeply disturbed man," immediately caught the attention of U.S. marshalls assigned outside Kavanaugh's home because of his black outfit and bag.
The 26-year-old from Simi Valley, California walked away from Kavanaugh's home but was arrested afterward. Law enforcement discovered that his bag contained a pistol, crowbar, hammer, 2 magazines of bullets, zip ties, and padded shoes.
CNBC Television added that a knife, pepper spray, tactical chest rig, nail punch, duct tape, screwdriver, and pistol light were also found in Roske's bag. The broadcasting company highlighted that the gun was a Glock-17 pistol. They said Roske did not proceed to the justice's home because he saw two marshalls standing beside their vehicles.
When he left, Roske called 911 on himself--who he was, where he lived, his current location, and his plans. He stressed to the 911 dispatcher that he was having "suicidal thoughts" at that time. The dispatcher quickly alarmed the marshalls at the justice's home.
"He also told the call taker he came from California to kill a specific United States Supreme Court Justice," an FBI agent said in the affidavit.
"Roske stated that he began thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice," the FBI agent continued.
Also Read: Republicans Push Bill Against Leakers As Supreme Court Investigation Intensifies
Roske, who was arrested on one count of attempted murder, has already attended a federal hearing at Greenbelt, Maryland court on his case that afternoon. But he has not given his plea yet. Roske was asked in court if he understood what was happening and if he was thinking clearly. He responded that he does think he is thinking clearly and has a reasonable understanding of what was happening, which he confirmed after consulting with his lawyer.
Supreme Court Leak & Uvalde Massacre Behind Threat To Kill
According to court documents, Roske explained to an FBI agent that he wanted to kill Kavanaugh because "he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion, as well as, the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas." He "thought Kavanaugh would loosen gun laws and plan to kill the judge and then himself."
Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that Roske's family was deeply upset about the matter and left their Simi Valley home, which they have lived in for several years. Roske's neighbors were shocked and scared by the news for he rarely went outside nor conversed with anyone. They were amazed when the FBI appeared outside the young man's home. One neighbor even stressed that Roske's grandparents were "extremely friendly people." While employers said they could not fathom that the 26-year-old would do such a thing.
The media outlet said the FBI is currently investigating where Roske got the Gloc pistol and the other items he had in his bag. They also highlighted that the judge during Roske's hearing asked if he was taking his medication after asking if he was thinking clearly, which the suspect affirmed.
Roske is currently imprisoned as he awaits the scheduled preliminary hearing on June 22.
President Joe Biden has strongly condemned Roske's actions and expressed gratitude that law enforcement quickly apprehended him. White House Spokesman Andrew Bates, in an interview with CNN, reiterated the President's position that public officials should be able to execute their jobs free from threats of violence and intimidation.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland echoed Biden's statements and stressed that Roske's behavior and those like him will not be tolerated. Garland underscored that such behavior "strike at the heart" of the country's democracy and his office will do its best to prevent it, as well as, hold perpetrators of violence accountable.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed out that the incident is exactly what many feared following "the terrible breach of the court's rules and norms could fuel." He then urged the House of Representatives to pass a bill that will ensure secured protection for Supreme Court Justices and their families.
Related Article: White House Condemns Intimidation Of Catholic Churches At Pro-Choice Protests
(OJO: Here is the plag check report on this = https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wRXVPgf0t460BRMDMAf3v0RDhYQxGCnk/view?usp=sharing)
