SAN ANTONIO – A 20-year-old New Braunfels man was sentenced to more than six years in prison Wednesday for planning mass murder attacks, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
The DOJ, citing court documents, said Cameron Darrick Peterson had been planning mass shootings since November 2022.
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In January 2024, the DOJ said Peterson walked into a New Braunfels pawnshop and attempted to buy a 12-gauge shotgun.
While he completed the required background check, Peterson was denied due to his age and the type of weapon he wanted to buy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.
Four months later, on May 31, 2024, Peterson returned to the same pawnshop and attempted to purchase an assault weapon-style, 12-gauge shotgun. Officials said the pawnshop denied Peterson a second time.
Five days after Peterson was denied at the pawnshop for the second time, FBI agents executed an arrest warrant for Peterson. The DOJ said New Braunfels police took Peterson into custody.
As a part of a federal search warrant of Peterson and his home, FBI agents found an altered .22-caliber long rifle with a sawed-off buttstock and six magazines loaded with 60 rounds, court records show.
On June 6, 2024, agents said they discovered Peterson making statements about attacking a gas station on Instagram. Also, on that day, investigators said Peterson was recorded from jail telling a witness to hide or destroy a possibly incriminating videotape.
According to the DOJ, Peterson made a videotape of himself scoping out a grocery store for a potential future attack.
During a June 10 search of his home, investigators said they categorized one of 11 aerosol containers they found as an improvised explosive device (IED). The IED was not registered in the National Firearms Registry due to Peterson’s age, documents show.
Peterson was indicted in June 2024 on three counts related to firearm and explosive offenses. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2024, to one count of attempt to receive a firearm to use to commit a felony, the release said.
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