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California man who 'idolized' mass shooters detained, sheriff says

REDDING, Calif. – A 22-year-old man who "idolized" shooters and posted on Snapchat that he wished a mass killing would happen in the area was detained Wednesday, authorities in California say. The McCloud man wasn't identified because Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey said deputies detained him under a 72-hour hold meant for people who could be a threat to themselves or others. The "5150" holds, as they're called in reference to the California code that authorizes them, are more often used in the latter situation to stave off self-harm or suicide.

Lopey said the man's Snapchat message was "particularly incendiary" and "very disturbing" because it "referred to mass shootings in a favorable way, idolized the mass shooters, and expressed satisfaction with the victimization of other persons and their families." The man also "referred to the hope that such an incident would happen in Siskiyou County," Lopey said.

Lopey said the man lives with his parents, and deputies confiscated three guns from their home while he's being evaluated.

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Because of mass shootings in Gilroy, El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in the past week, Lopey said online statements related to shootings need to be taken particularly seriously.

While the man admitted to making the message, Lopey said he denied that he wanted to "perpetrate an act of terror against fellow citizens."

Still, the sheriff said the man's "motivation and actual intentions could not be reasonably substantiated."

"I am confident the man will receive an appropriate assessment and treatment that will help him and at the same time protect the community," Lopey said in a news release.

Lopey noted that Wednesday was the first day of the county's fair, so "it is important for the public to know that all threats, no matter how they are communicated, will be taken seriously."