Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Daniel Julio Dominguez, 31, was arrested last night and charged with terrorism and making threats of terrorism after allegedly posting an Instagram video in which he said he wanted to shoot up a middle school on a weekend so police would kill him.

At about 2:00 p.m. on October 19, Dominguez allegedly posted a video on Instagram in which he said he planned to shoot up a middle school in Alachua County on Saturday or Sunday. He was sitting in front of a book shelf, with an AR-15 rifle on his right and a handgun on his left. In the video, he allegedly said he didn’t want to hurt anyone; he just wanted to shoot at the school in the hope that police would respond and kill him. Statements in the video reportedly included, “I have decided to take up arms and attack the state. I intend to target a middle school, particularly the middle school I went to” and “I will be going on a Saturday or a Sunday when no children are there, with the intention of getting off as many NATO .556 rounds from my AR-15 at the building.” Various disclaimers were attached to the video, including one that said, “This is an Art piece.”

Florida Department of Law Enforcement analysts discovered the video and contacted Gainesville Police Department (GPD); GPD officers were able to identify Dominguez from the name on the Instagram account and saw that he previously lived near Parker Elementary. Officers believed that Parker or a nearby school could be the intended target, so the information was forwarded to GPD Patrol Operations. A ping on his cell phone was requested, and he was taken into custody in the area of the 1800 block of NE 23rd Avenue at about 8:40 p.m. last night.

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While being transported to GPD, Dominguez reportedly said the guns were in his bedroom at his parents’ house in Valwood. In an interview at the station, Dominguez was asked if he knew why he was there, and he reportedly said it was because of his video. Post Miranda, he asked for a lawyer.

Since the house in Valwood is outside the Gainesville city limits, GPD officers and Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies went to the house and made contact with Dominguez’ parents. After conducting a safety sweep of the home, officers determined that the video had been filmed in the house; an AR-15-style weapon was reportedly found in plain view during the sweep.

Dominguez has lived in Alachua County his whole life and has no criminal history; court records describe him as unemployed/disabled. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $2,000,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.