Nevada man who threatened Iowa State commencement now charged in federal court for stalking
New federal court documents provide additional chilling details into the activities of a Story County man accused of stalking an Iowa State student and threatening a mass shooting at a college commencement ceremony.
Tanner Bandy, 28, of Nevada, is now facing a federal stalking charge. He was previously charged in state court with stalking-possession of a dangerous weapon.
Investigators say that for months, Bandy has been sending an ISU student violent and threatening messages, eventually escalating to threatening to commit a mass shooting at Iowa State's upcoming spring commencement ceremony.
On April 16, the victim reported the threats and harassment to the Iowa State University Police Department. Bandy was arrested on April 17 at the Story County Sheriff's Office, trying to update a weapons permit.
When Bandy was arrested, ISU PD told vlog that evidence indicated that Bandy actually intended to act on his threats.
On Tuesday, Story County prosecutors dismissed the state charges against Bandy after federal charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
The federal charging documents give more harrowing details of Bandy's threats and activities leading up to his arrest.
The documents say Bandy lost his job at an Ankeny technology company in early April, after which he "began exhibiting attack planning indicators" and "repeatedly stated that he planned to die 'very soon.'" The documents say Bandy specifically identified the Iowa State commencement ceremony as his mass shooting target and that he intended to kill the stalking victim and "as many people as possible" before he himself is killed.
In voice messages, investigators say, Bandy told the victim he was going to hunt her down, shoot her and kill her.
In one voice message, Bandy allegedly told the victim, "It should really [expletive] scare you and it should really scare the entire commencement ceremony over here at Iowa State because I'm ... and I'm [expletive] loving it." In another, he allegedly said he was going to figure out how to buy an AR-15 rifle "and figure out how many people I can cut down at this [expletive] commencement ceremony."
Court documents say that on April 16, Bandy attempted to renew his Iowa permit to purchase firearms with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and the Nevada Police Department, but was directed to the Story County Sheriff's Office based on his current residence.
On that same day, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported to ISU PD that someone at an Iowa City shooting range was shooting at a printed-out Facebook photo of another person. License plate readers confirmed Bandy's vehicle was in Iowa City at that time, and a witness described Bandy and the firearm.
The next day, he was arrested when he went to renew his firearms permit at the Story County Sheriff's Office.
Search warrants were executed on Bandy's home and vehicle. Police found a loaded Glock pistol and $2,000 cash in his vehicle, and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun as well as additional ammunition in his home.
Police also found a printout of the details of the Iowa State commencement ceremony taped to Bandy's bathroom mirror. On the paper, Bandy had handwritten the date of the ceremony in large print.
Bandy is expected back in court on May 1 for a detention hearing.
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