Federal prosecutors say an Owosso man who turned his bedroom into a firing range and filled his home with weapons is now headed to prison for plotting a mass killing targeting people he associated with the LGBTQ+ community and other groups.
Mack Davis, 23, of Owosso, was sentenced last Thursday to seven years in federal prison after admitting he planned an attack that prosecutors say was fueled by hate and fantasy worship of mass murderers. The case started to unravel after neighbors reported gunfire and investigators discovered an arsenal along with writings that praised mass killers and encouraged violence.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Davis pleaded guilty to one count under the federal hate-crime statute. Court filings describe journal entries, social media posts and handwritten notes that prosecutors say show he "became infatuated" with other mass murderers and mapped out his own attack.
When investigators searched his home, they found what authorities called an arsenal, including an illegally sawed-off rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, bomb-making parts and several knives. He had also spray-painted an anti-gay slur on a neighbor’s car. As reported by FOX 2 Detroit, Davis posted selfies making a Nazi salute and was photographed holding a copy of "Mein Kampf."
"Davis devised wicked plans," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in the sentencing announcement, adding that Davis wrote he would kill anyone and anything and that his venom for Jews is part of the sickening rise in antisemitism. The release noted that the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division assisted the Eastern District of Michigan in the prosecution.
How Investigators Say The Plot Was Uncovered
Authorities say the scheme came into focus after Davis allegedly fired about 60 rounds from his bedroom into neighboring properties in June 2024, triggering a shots-fired call to local police and a search of his home. The arrest on the 800 block of Lyon Street, followed by his transfer to federal custody, led investigators to notebooks, surveillance photos and weapons that prosecutors say were tied to the plan, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Court Record And Charges
Davis pleaded guilty in December 2024 to a single count under the federal hate-crime statute, a charge that carried a potential maximum sentence of life in prison because it involved an attempted killing, earlier coverage shows. His public defender previously told reporters that Davis’s writings were private expressions and argued he needed treatment and support more than a lengthy sentence, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Community Reaction
Owosso officials said they were relieved the plot was disrupted before anyone was hurt and publicly praised local officers for responding quickly. As WILX reported, Mayor Rob Teich said the sentencing sends a clear message that violence fueled by hatred has no place in our community, while FBI agents and federal prosecutors credited an interagency investigation with preventing potential harm.
Federal authorities have framed the case as part of a broader push to stop bias-motivated violence before it turns deadly, noting that the FBI Detroit Field Office, the Owosso Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Michigan State Police all played roles in the investigation. For the U.S. Attorney's Office, the sentence underscores the federal tools prosecutors say they are prepared to use to protect targeted communities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
