OFFICIALS: ARMED MAN WANTED TO KILL KAVANAUGH
A man armed with a pistol, a knife and other weapons was arrested near the Maryland home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh early Wednesday after he said he traveled from California to kill the Supreme Court justice, federal officials said.
Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, was charged with attempted murder after two U.S. deputy marshals saw him step out of a taxi in front of the justice’s house in Chevy Chase, Md., early Wednesday, federal prosecutors said. Roske was dressed in black and carrying a suitcase and a backpack, according to a federal affidavit.
Inside the suitcase and backpack, the authorities later discovered a “black tactical chest rig and tactical knife,” a pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light and duct tape, in addition to other items, according to the affidavit.
His plan was to break into the house, kill the justice and then kill himself, according to the affidavit.
Roske told police that he was upset about the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and about a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion suggesting that the justices were poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that guarantees the right to an abortion. There have been protests outside Kavanaugh’s home and the homes of the other justices since the leaked draft was published last month.
In addition to the abortion ruling, the justices could strike down a centuryold New York state law that places strict limits on the carrying of handguns. Both decisions are expected to be issued this month.
“Roske indicated that he believed the justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws,” the affidavit said.
Roske was taken into custody without incident. If he is convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Roske told police that he had begun thinking “about how to give his life a purpose” and decided to kill a Supreme Court justice after finding the justice’s address online, the affidavit stated.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement that he had asked Attorney General Merrick Garland last month to increase security outside the justices’ homes.