UPDATED: April 5, 2018 at 11:44 p.m.

A Syracuse University student stockpiled weapon accessories and threatened to commit a mass shooting before being deported last month, a Syracuse Police Department official revealed at a Thursday meeting reported by Syracuse.com.

Xiaoteng Zhan, a 22-year-old SU student, was apprehended by federal agents in late March after attempting to return to Syracuse from Mexico, Syracuse.com reported. Before his deportation, Zhan had attempted to buy an AR-15 — an assault rifle frequently used in recent mass shootings — and sought psychiatric care twice recently, according to Syracuse.com.

When authorities entered Zhan’s apartment in mid-March, officers found ammunition, a shotgun shoulder carrier, laser scope and ammunition, Syracuse.com reported.

Syracuse Deputy Police Chief Derek McGork revealed details of the mass shooting threat at a Thursday school safety task force meeting. He read an English translation of text messages Zhan sent to a friend, which included descriptions of a “dark side” that pushed Zhan to buy a gun, bulletproof vest and other items, according to Syracuse.com.

“I might use the gun to cause trouble,” Zhan said in the texts read at the meeting by McGork. “I have been preparing.”

Zhan’s friend, in the text message conversation, tried to convince him not to kill her or children, per Syracuse.com.

“You’re the only one I don’t want to kill,” Zhan responded.

Authorities learned about Zhan on March 12, after the owner of a Nelson gun store called police to express concerns about Zhan’s lack of U.S. citizenship, according to Syracuse.com. Zhan wanted to buy an AR-15 and asked the owner about high capacity shotguns, per Syracuse.com.

Zhan attended SU legally on a student visa, and obtained a valid hunting license the day before his attempt to buy an AR-15. The license allowed him to carry firearms despite his non-citizenship, Syracuse.com reported. He had also taken gun safety courses.

The store owner refused to sell Zhan the weapons, according to Syracuse.com. He also copied Zhan’s license plate number, which allowed authorities to track Zhan’s car to Creekwalk Commons, a luxury apartment complex, per Syracuse.com.

Police couldn’t obtain a search warrant, but authorities discovered that Zhan had sought psychiatric care twice recently for suicidal thoughts, drinking, major depression, thoughts of driving a car into a tree, feelings like he might lose control and violence toward nobody in particular, according to Syracuse.com.

Authorities placed Zhan on a list that prohibited him from buying a gun from stores, according to Syracuse.com. The investigation found that Zhan had also asked about a specific assault rifle at a Dick’s Sporting Goods at Destiny USA.

On March 16, four days after police received the tip that Zhan had wanted to buy an AR-15, an alarm went off in Zhan’s apartment while he was on a trip to Mexico, according to Syracuse.com. An apartment employee unlocked the door, where he found ammunition and called police, Syracuse.com reported.

Friends on vacation with Zhan contacted SU the same day to report concerns about his behavior.

“The reason I want to buy guns is not to go hunting,” Zhan allegedly told others, according to Syracuse.com. “I might do something extreme in the future.”

Police obtained a warrant to search Zhan’s apartment on March 19, where they found the ammunition, according to Syracuse.com. Zhan hadn’t committed a crime, but evidence allowed him to be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital.

SU revoked Zhan’s student status, which invalidated his visa, Syracuse.com reported. He was apprehended by federal agents when he flew back to the United States from Mexico, according to Syracuse.com. He was then deported.

In a campus-wide email Thursday night, Tony Callisto, SU’s senior vice president for safety and chief law enforcement officer, said Zhan was already out of the country when the university was informed about the situation. SU honored law enforcement’s request to maintain confidentiality while the investigation was underway, he said.  

“Per our University policy, and because this was a student conduct matter, we will not be providing further details,” he said in the email.

This post has been updated with additional reporting. 

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the nature of the arsenal in Xiaoteng Zhan’s apartment was misstated. Zhan collected a stockpile of weapon accessories. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on April 5, 2018 at 8:05 pm

Contact Jordan: jmulle01@syr.edu | @jordanmuller18