On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, Las Vegas Metro police took into custody 33 year-old Matthew DeSavio, for allegedly threatening to stage a mass shooting during the Stanley Cup Final.
The incident occurred just before noon, when authorities were called to a nearby business regarding reports of an individual that had been terrorizing an individual for nearly a decade and was reportedly intending to carry out an attack during the championship game.
Later in the day, Metro Police took DeSavio into custody after discovering his Facebook posts that indicated a desire to massacre the spectators at T-Mobile Arena.
One of DeSavio’s posts, read, “I’m coming for you guys tonight and I hope you get every [expletive] police officer in Vegas Golden Knights there to defend you!” These messages sparked the attention of authorities, who viewed them as terroristic threats.
The arrest of DeSavio is particularly pertinent in light of the mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas in 2017, making it the deadliest related event in United States history. On October 1, of that year 58 people were shot dead in the Route 91 Massacre, with two others succumbing to injuries later, raising the total death count to 60. An additional hundreds were wounded in the attack.
At the current time, DeSavio is being held in the Clark County Detention Center and faces charges of stalking, making terroristic threats, aggravated stalking and disregarding a temporary protection order. A judge has already rejected a bail application for DeSavio and has rescheduled his initial appearance for June 20.
The arrest of Matthew DeSavio serves as an unfortunate reminder of the devastating events that occurred in Las Vegas six years ago, emphasizing the importance of taking all threats of mass shootings seriously.