MARGATE, Fla. — Detectives found a list of Jewish and Black targets, including a congressman, along with multiple firearms in a convicted felon's South Florida home.
Margate Police arrested John Lapinski, 41, on Halloween after they received a call about shots fired. When they arrived at the home, officers spoke with his sister and "understood" that Lapinski was the shooter.
Officers then took Lapinski into custody, admitting him to a hospital to evaluate a possible mental illness. When they did a check of the house, they found "numerous things which indicated the suspected presence of firearms" including shell casings on the ground and a man-made target.
Since Lapinski has two felony convictions from 2005, he is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition, according to federal court documents. He also has a restraining order against him for domestic violence and is prohibited from having guns or ammunition stemming from that 2017 case.
Police got a search warrant for his home where they found guns, 3,000 rounds of ammunition and accessories including silencers. There was also an itemized list of all the weapons. The list had a total of 42 items with smoke grenades, body armor and a "racially charge drawing/target" among others. Besides not being able to possess a gun, the silencers were not registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Detectives also found a clipboard inside a black laptop bag with drawings of local schools, parks and other areas in the area that had racially derogatory names referring to Black people, according to court documents.
There was also a "targets list" with names of bar mitzvah halls, a synagogue, a Jewish sub shop, Jewish U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz and more, the documents read. There was also an entry to "stalk Jewish parks." Next to the target entries was a column labeled "tools" and "requirements."
On Nov. 8, he posted on social media that he was notified by police about a "potential plot on my life." He wrote that the individual police were referring to was a former felon in possession of a gun, suppressor and body armor. Moskowitz also said police found a "manifesto that, among other things included antisemitic rhetoric."
While the congressman didn't identify the suspect he was talking about, the description matches the federal court documents released on Tuesday.
The Democratic politician, who represents Florida's 23rd congressional district, encompassing parts of Broward and Palm Beach Counties, wrote that he is "deeply worried" about security for members of Congress when they are not in Washington.
"Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe," the post said.
Multiple external storage devices and phones were also taken from Lapinski's residence, which are awaiting forensic results.
Lapinski is being held at the Broward County Jail on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of firearms and ammunition in prohibition of a domestic violence injunction and a hold by the U.S. Marshals Office.
