Howell’s Indiana license plate featured National Rifle Association indicia, revealed when officers performed a search of his vehicle. See Video: 8 Latest Developments in Orlando Shooting 3.
Police found three assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, ammunition and a five-gallon bucket filled with chemicals capable of “being formed into an improvised explosive device” in Howell’s car after a resident notified police of his suspicious behavior, including loitering and knocking on doors. Three assault rifles were found in Howell’s car Instead, Howell said he merely wanted to attend the event. The “harm” statement was inaccurate, said police chief Jacqueline Seabrooks, the source who originated it. James Howell did not intend to “harm” attendees at L.A.’s Gay Pride Parade, the Santa Monica police said Sunday, reversing an earlier statement. See eight facts we know about Howell below. A number of his posts were anti-Democrat/anti-Hillary Clinton, the latest being a post comparing the presidential candidate to Adolf Hitler. Howell’s now-deleted Facebook profile depicts a young, white male who loved cars and held several jobs, including one in which he, like Mateen, worked as a security guard. history.Īlso Read: Man Arrested Before LA Gay Pride Parade Had 3 Assault Rifles Howell’s arrest came hours after Omar Mateen killed 50 people at an LGBT night club in Orlando, the deadliest shooting in U.S.
The suspect was arrested after a resident notified the Santa Monica Police Department of his suspicious behavior, including loitering and knocking on doors. One day after the 20-year-old Indiana native was arrested in Santa Monica while en route to the even in West Hollywood, facts about Howell are surfacing, though city police told TheWrap that his motives and intentions still remain unclear. Armed would-be L.A. Pride Parade goer James Wesley Howell was reportedly bisexual, his family hadn’t seen him in days and his license plate bore an NRA sticker.