A Utah man told authorities he wanted to "just randomly shoot and kill people" in an upscale Salt Lake City mall, USA TODAY reported.
Jack Harry Stiles, 42, admitted to a crisis counselor that he planned to "kill as many people as possible" on Wednesday, the anniversary of his mother's death.
Stiles also told investigators he wanted to "shoot people's heads off" at a movie theater nearby and plant a bomb underneath a bus. He had "scoped and mapped out the best spots" to hide during the assault in order to "kill the most amount of people."
According to jail documents, Stiles was booked to Salt Lake County jail on Monday and bail was set at $1 million. The Salt Lake Legal Defender's Office reported he does not have a lawyer.
Although Stiles did not own any weapons, he was planning on purchasing two guns with silencers and stocking up on ammunition. Aside from marking the anniversary of his mother's death, a solid motive is unknown and prosecutor Sim Gill believes he may suffer from a mental illness.
"Hopefully as we go through the process, we'll get a little more clarity on that," Gill said. "People who do need help fall through the cracks. Our mental health system is in absolute crisis."
Documents allege Stiles was preparing to shoot people at City Creek shopping center in Salt Lake City, which spans two blocks and is worth $1.7 billion.
Law enforcement officials were notified of Stiles' plan on Aug. 21. after a counselor from Pioneer Valley Hospital notified the police.
"The thing that gave us concern was the amount of planning and detail," Gill said.
In addition to the recent allegations, Stiles was charged with theft of services by the Utah Transit Authority in 2011 and failed to appear in court, leading to his arrest and minor jail time.
