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New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Virginia Man Convicted in Attempted Church Shooting Gets 25 Years
A man who the authorities said had planned a mass shooting at a Virginia church was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week, federal prosecutors said. The man, Rui Jiang, 36, was convicted at his trial in March of making threats online, bringing firearms to a religious service and obstructing congregants' free exercise of religious beliefs. In a news release after the sentencing on Wednesday, Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said that Mr. Jiang entered 'a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners.' 'The freedom to worship without fear is one of the bedrock principles of our nation,' he said. According to prosecutors, Mr. Jiang was carrying a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition and two knives when he went to the Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Va., on Sept. 24, 2023. He was also found to have more ammunition and a canister of bear spray in his car, they said. There were about 1,000 people in the church when Mr. Jiang went there, according to Barry White, a senior pastor with the church. The authorities, who said they found Mr. Jiang inside the entrance to the church, were led there by a tip they received about his troubling social media posts. Mr. Jiang had posted on Instagram threatening messages that included a photograph of a burning Bible and a picture from the inside of a vehicle parked in what appeared to be the church's parking lot at night, according to court records. One of the messages he posted said, 'Welcome to Park Valley church' and 'Blood will be on your hands,' according to court records. Todd Richman and Nate Wenstrup, lawyers for Mr. Jiang, said in a statement on Friday that their client suffered from mental illness and that this incident happened when he was 'delusional and undergoing a severe mental health crisis.' 'Unfortunately, this is yet another case where the government has used the criminal legal system to respond to a mental health crisis,' they said. Mr. Richman and Mr. Wenstrup said they commended church security and the police officers for 'ably diffusing the situation and treating Mr. Jiang with compassion.' Since the incident, their client has been receiving treatment and taking medication, they added. The Park Valley Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Man convicted of attempted mass shooting at Virginia church sentenced to 25 years
The Brief A 36-year-old Fairfax man was sentenced to 25 years for attempting a mass shooting at Park Valley Church. The man was apprehended at the church while armed, after posting alarming threats and a manifesto online. Prosecutors revealed that the man's actions were motivated by personal grievances, including anger at the church and its male members. FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - A Fairfax man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday after he was convicted for attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a Haymarket church, possession of a gun and for transmitting threats over the internet. The backstory The investigation began after Rui Jiang, 36, posted a series of messages online on Sept. 23, 2023, targeting Park Valley Church in Haymarket and its congregation. The following morning, police searched for Jiang after getting a call from a citizen concerned about the posts. Officers found Jiang heavily armed at the church while Sunday services were underway. Jiang was carrying a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, a folding knife, a "credit card" style knife and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car. The initial tip came from a woman who met Jiang on a dating app earlier in 2023, the affidavit said. The woman had stopped communicating with Jiang months earlier, but saw social media posts that she deemed alarming, including vague threats against the church saying "Blood will be on your hands" and photos of a burning Bible. READ MORE: Man brought gun, knives to Virginia church service after making online threats: police Dig deeper During a search of Jiang's Fairfax apartment, law enforcement discovered copies of a manifesto, signed by Jiang, which read, "I am here deny…the love lives blessed by God to these lucky men, by taking out these the families of those men about to be slain, I am sorry for what I have done and about to do." According to authorities, Jiang had recently joined the church but indicated that he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having romantic relationships with women. In his manifesto, he said he intended to only shoot and kill men and apologized in advance for any women who might be "collateral damage." Further details emerged during the trial, including the suspect's unusual demand for a refund of tithes he had previously donated to the church, which he cited as a grievance fueling his plot. Prosecutors argued that the attack was meticulously planned and motivated by personal animosity and extremist beliefs. READ MORE: Federal prosecutors take over case against man charged with threatening Virginia church What they're saying Jiang was sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was previously convicted by a jury in March 2025. "The freedom to worship without fear is one of the bedrock principles of our Nation," said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. "Rui Jiang set out to violate that principle by entering a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners. This unspeakable act, only thwarted by brave law enforcement officers and civilians, has no place in our Republic and will always be a priority of my office." The arrest was the result of a multi-agency investigation involving Prince William County police, Fairfax County police and Anne Arundel County police. The Source This information comes from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Department of Justice.
Miami Herald
07-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Man ‘mad at God' brought gun, ammo to Virginia church, feds say. Now, jury convicts him
On a rainy Sunday morning, a man dressed in all black entered a Virginia church through the back door as congregants were gathered for a service that was in session, according to court documents. Earlier that morning, authorities heard from a concerned caller who reported online threats the man, Rui Jiang, made against Park Valley Church in Haymarket, prosecutors said. Jiang's online posts, 'which made clear his intention to kill congregants,' were shared Sept. 23, 2023, the night before the Sunday church service, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. When police officers arrived at the church on Sept. 24, 2023, they found Jiang inside the front entrance, armed with 'a semiautomatic handgun and two full magazines of ammunition,' prosecutors said. The officers also located 34 more rounds of ammunition inside Jiang's car, according to prosecutors. In February 2024, a criminal complaint was filed against Jiang, who was 35 at the time, charging him in connection with making threats toward the church and its attendees, McClatchy News previously reported. Now, a federal jury has found Jiang, of Falls Church, guilty of a hate crime following a four-day trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. The jury returned its verdict on March 6. The verdict form shows they convicted Jiang of an attempted obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by force or threat of force involving an attempt to kill or attempted use of a dangerous weapon; using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another. Jiang's federal public defender, Todd M. Richman, declined McClatchy News' request for comment March 7. When Jiang was interviewed by police, he denied planning to hurt the Park Valley Church's congregants, according to an affidavit previously reviewed by McClatchy News. While speaking about the threats he posted to Instagram, he told officers that he made the posts because he was 'mad at God,' 'not at the church,' according to the affidavit. The person who alerted police to the posts was a woman who met Jiang over a dating app earlier in 2023, she told authorities, the affidavit said. She sensed 'something was wrong' because she knew Jiang as a 'very religious' person, according to the affidavit, which said she was no longer speaking with Jiang. One of Jiang's posts included a video of a Bible burning on a stove, the affidavit showed. Police find threatening letter Jiang was approached by church volunteers, who were concerned over his behavior, when authorities responded on Sept. 24, 2023, according to prosecutors. Members of the church's security team became suspicious of Jiang as they watched him walk around the church, seemingly searching for cameras and tapping on windows as if he 'was testing the strength of the glass,' according to investigators. After Jiang was apprehended by Prince William County police, prosecutors said officers searched his apartment and found five copies of a letter, which he signed with his name in ink. 'I apologize in advance, if any women are harmed … To the families of those men about to be slain — I am sorry for what I have done and about to do,' the threatening letter said, according to investigators. In the letter, Jiang also wrote about the ongoing deterioration of his mental health, the affidavit showed. Jiang was indicted in March 2024, then the court found he could be experiencing mental health issues that could render him 'mentally incompetent,' according to court filings. The court later ruled in November that Jiang was competent to stand trial, records show. In a previous statement to McClatchy News, Park Valley Church Pastor Barry White said 'we praise God for keeping our church safe on September 24th last year.' 'We also pray that Mr. Jiang gets the help he needs because we care about him also,' White said. Jiang is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to life in prison, prosecutors said. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 18, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Falls Church man found guilty of hate crime for threatening church members
FALLS CHURCH, Va. () — A jury convicted a Falls Church man on Thursday for threatening a church in Haymarket and its congregants back in 2023. On the evening of Sept. 23, 2023, then 35-year-old Rui Jiang began making threats against Park Valley Church on his Instagram account, according to court documents and the (USAO). A person reported to police that Jiang had posted a photo of a burning Bible that evening. The next morning, the same person said he posted several more photos and messages on the same Instagram account, including one of a gun pointed at a church on a TV screen. According to that person, Jiang was very religious and once they saw what he posted on his Instagram, they decided to call the police. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police arrest man who made online threats about Prince William County church The person also said Jiang was in front of Park Valley Church in some of his posts, that he had a gun and was making threats. Officials began looking into his Instagram account and found a number of concerning photographs, videos and captions. A string of seven photos were all taken in front of the church and posted back-to-back in the early hours of Sept. 24. One caption read, 'Welcome to Park Valley church, attended by many top secret gov clearance holders in the area. From this day forward, you will know that this is how you will repaid me. Blood will be on your hands.' The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) conducted a welfare check on Jiang shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2023. Unable to find him or his car at his home, FCPD contacted the Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) with concerns over potential violence at Park Valley Church. A PWCPD officer responded to the church and found Jiang's car in the parking lot. A member of the church's security team happened to be leading Jiang out of the church when the officer arrived. The officer spoke to Jiang, who said he was leaving after security asked him to go. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man indicted for threatening to kill Prince William County church members Officers found that Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun and two full magazines of ammunition. He also had an additional 34 rounds of ammunition in his car. He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for evaluation by the community services board. While searching his apartment later that day, police found five copies of a letter. According to court documents, the letter read, in part, 'What I am about to do, is not personal. It is not politically motivated. … It is not religiously motivated. These people – soon to be victims – were not targeted in advance.' 'To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do. … I hope you do not take this personally on me either. For whatever pain I cause, I hope to return in my next lifetime through philanthropy,' the letter continued. The letter was signed and dated Sept. 24, 2023, the same day Jiang was detained at the church. After a four-day trial, a jury found Jiang guilty of attempted obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by force or threat of force involving an attempt to kill or attempted use of a dangerous weapon, as well as other related charges. His sentencing is scheduled for June 18, where he faces anywhere from five years to life in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
