Miami

22-Year-Old Damien Allen Arrested for Plotting Mass Shooting and Impersonating Officer

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Published on May 01, 2025
22-Year-Old Damien Allen Arrested for Plotting Mass Shooting and Impersonating OfficerSource: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Palm Beach County officials, including Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, believe they have thwarted a potential mass shooting after arresting Damien Allen, 22, of The Acreage, on charges of issuing written threats to kill, illegal use of a two-way communication device, and impersonating an officer, as per information obtained by WSVN.

In a statement obtained by Palm Beach Post, Sheriff Bradshaw said, "This guy was ready to go. It’s just a matter of what day was going to set him off," when deputies discovered 18 firearms more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition, ballistic armor, and tactical gear in Allen's home along with self-made FBI IDs and military training certificates, and authentic PBSO gear and uniforms bearing various law enforcement and military insignias, including one with a Nazi insignia. Local law enforcement were working on tracking down the origins of the materials, with PBSO Captain Randy Foley indicating that there's records of every purchase that's made, and while they're piecing together how he got ahold of all the gear, they are also examining various uniforms, including Nazi insignia-bearing ones.

Allen, who lived with his family, is reported to have posted videos on social media wearing PBSO uniforms and displaying law enforcement equipment, according to an account by WSVN, making his imagined role-playing harrowingly consequential; PBSO Captain Foley told Palm Beach Post that Allen's main desire was to harm law enforcement and attack a law enforcement facility.

Furthermore, the investigation revealed that Allen had been in communication with Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old who had carried out a mass shooting at her school in Madison, Wisconsin, in December 2024, according to details Captain Foley provided to Palm Beach Post, their conversations suggested an alignment in violent, potentially ethno-radically motivated ambitions, Bradshaw confirmed with alarm that no one collects such an arsenal and talks of mass shootings as a hobby, indicating a clear and present intent to execute a calamitous design.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has also sought a Risk Protection Order under Florida's "red flag" law to prevent Allen from accessing firearms, describing him as "seriously mentally ill or has recurring mental health issues" and a "significant risk of injury" in the near future, as reported by Palm Beach Post. A hearing for the order has been scheduled for May 15.

Miami-Crime & Emergencies