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Falls Church resident Rui Jiang, 35, was charged with attempted aggravated murder of multiple people, after showing up to the Park Valley Church on Waverly Farm Drive in Haymarket with a handgun on Sunday, Sept. 24, Prince William County police said.
Federal officials this week charged Jian by criminal complaint with posting threatening messages online against the congregants of a Haymarket church.
A search of his home turned up a letter dated Sept. 24, 2023 that read: "To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do," according to Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Jiang had made social media posts depicting the church, and indicated that he "intended to cause harm, injury, and death to the church congregation," police said.
Shortly after 7:40 a.m., members of the community spotted his messages and reported them to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, who then flagged detectives in Fairfax County who checked on Jiang, though he was not home at the time.
The messages included "vague threats of violence" that included images of the Park Valley Church, and Jiang's vehicle was then tracked to the building in Prince William County, according to police.
According to officials, at 10:12 a.m., Jiang arrived at the church after services had started, investigators said. He was initially charged with threats of bodily harm and carrying a dangerous weapon in a place of religious worship.
An off-duty Prince William County Police officer working an assignment at the church located the vehicle as staff at the church were monitoring a suspicious person - later identified as Jiang - who was ultimately detained near the entrance of the building without incident shortly before 10:30 a.m. that day.
He had reportedly entered through a separate door, but was located and stopped before any incident could occur.
When he was arrested, police say that Jiang was in possession of a loaded handgun, an additional magazine, folding knife, and a "folding credit card" style knife.
Officials made note that Jiang had a concealed weapon permit and the weapon was not reported stolen.
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