Triple-homicide suspect told police he bought rifle week before, texted that he was considering mass shooting
MUKILTEO, Wash. – The man accused of shooting four people at a Mukilteo house party early Saturday morning told police he was angry that his ex-girlfriend had been talking to other guys, and that he bought the AR-15 used in the shooting about a week before.
Police also allege Allen Christopher Ivanov texted a friend several days beforehand and said he was thinking about committing a mass shooting, and said Ivanov had to read the instruction manual for his rifle while he was parked in the street outside the house.
Ivanov appeared in court Monday afternoon after being arrested on three charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of Anna Bui, Jake Long and Jordan Ebner. The judge complied with prosecutors' request to not grant bail.
According to probable-cause documents filed in Snohomish County:
Ivanov said he’d broken up with Bui, whom he described as his “dream girl,” about two months ago, after about a year and a half of dating. He said after they broke up, Bui posted several pictures on Snapchat of her drinking with other guys that Ivanov found “hurtful.”
He said he started to feel like he’d made a mistake, and that he and Bui had been talking recently and he thought they might get back together. He’d heard, however, that Bui was still dating other people and he got angry.
About a week ago, Ivanov bought the semi-automatic AR-15. He said he’d intended to use it for target practice, and that he’d scheduled a gun-safety class.
He told police he saw the rifle as a symbol of power.
Ivanov said that the night before the shooting, Bui was out of town. He put the rifle in his trunk, drove to a quiet spot and sat for a while.
On Friday, Ivanov said he left work early because he wasn’t feeling well. He went to Cabela’s and bought a second magazine for his rifle, telling police he did so because he needed a second magazine for class.
Ivanov said he went to the scene of the house party Friday night about 10 p.m., and parked on the street and watched. He said he eventually got out of the car, creeped up to the house and got mad when he saw Bui with another man.
Ivanov told police he went back to his car, read the rifle’s instruction manual, loaded it and went back to the house.
While he was hiding along the wall near the living room windows, somebody at the party found him. Ivanov told police he got scared and shot the man, and that at that point it was too late to turn back.
Police said Ivanov waived his right to an attorney and confessed to them the next morning.