A North Vancouver man was arrested after posting threats on Facebook to copy the ‘Dark Knight’ Colorado shootings that killed 12 people and wounded 58 others, according to police.
Police arrested 32-year-old Ryan John Lewis after he posted several death threats on his Facebook account to carry out a mass shooting similar to the crimes allegedly committed by James Holmes.
“[Lewis] made reference to the Colorado shooting and posted he was in favour of it and was going to repeat the same behaviour here in the Vancouver area,” Cpl. Richard De Jong said.
Lewis appeared in court Wednesday where he told CTV News he was embarrassed by his actions and never intended to act out his online threats.
“I kind of expected something after saying that. I went overboard... I've got a bad temper and was venting on Facebook,” Lewis said.
Police arrested Lewis on Aug. 1 at the home where he lives with his mother in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver. Lewis was charged with uttering threats.
De Jong said Lewis’s Facebook account has been removed and the entries have been deleted. Lewis’s mother was not at home during the arrest and police are not saying whether they found weapons inside.
Lewis was released on $1,000 bail, paid by his mother, on numerous conditions, including not accessing the internet, not being in possession of weapons and receiving a psychiatric assessment.
De Jong said police took Lewis’s threats seriously and are hoping he will not threaten public safety again. Police believe he may be mentally ill.
