SUSPECTED Denver shooter Lyndon McLeod reportedly predicted killing tattoo shop workers in chilling novels he penned before Monday’s massacre.
The haunting update comes after authorities identified McLeod, 47, as the alleged shooter who gunned down five victims in and around local tattoo shops in a horrifying massacre.
Of the five people McLeod is suspected of fatally shooting on Monday, three worked in tattoo shops and another was near a tattoo parlor, according to local media.
The suspect, who was killed after firing at a police officer during the rampage, once owned a business called Flat Black Ink Corp which published the disturbing novels, reports 9News.
McLeod, who reportedly also had several extremist views, published a three-book sci-fi series from 2018 to 2020 that glorifies violence against enemies and sexual assaults, according to the outlet.
A character in the novel shoots and kills people at a tattoo shop on 6th Avenue.
All of the books were published under a pen name, Roman McClay – however, the main character is named after McLeod.
The first book in the series has dozens of rave reviews on Amazon, while others warn potential readers about extreme violence.
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It comes after it was revealed the spot that used to home McLeod’s business is now World Tattoo in Denver.
However, despite the business connection and the apparent targeting of tattoo shop employees, authorities said it’s too early to determine a clear motive in the attacks.
McLeod was reportedly known to authorities before he allegedly carried out the deadly attacks.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said that McLeod was investigated in the middle of 2020 and again in early 2021, but did not give specifics.
“We can’t get into any of the details,” Pazen said. “It would not be responsible for us to share those details now.”
In the attack on Monday, Alicia Cardenas and Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado were killed at Sol Tribe Tattoo and Piercing on Broadway in Denver.
Danny Scofield was killed at Lucky 13 Tattoo on Kipling Street in Lakewood, according to Heavy.
A woman named Sarah Steck, who was working at the Hyatt House in Belmar, was also shot dead.
And a fifth victim, who has not yet been identified, was killed at a home on Williams Street near Cheesman Park in Denver, according to the Colorado Sun.
ATTACKS WERE ‘NOT RANDOM’
Although a motive has not been established, authorities don’t believe the attacks were random.
“It does appear that the offender was targeting specific people in this case,” Denver Police Commander Matt Clark said.
“The victims were known to the offender.”
Initial reports said that only four people were killed in the attack, but authorities later updated that number to five.
Four out of the five victims either worked at or were near tattoo parlors at the time that they were killed.
Victim Alicia Cardenas’ father, Alfredo, confirmed to KMGH-TV that she was killed in the attack.
He said she owned Sol Tribe Tattoo and had worked at the location for 15 to 20 years.
Tattoo artist Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado was also killed at the shop, and her husband Jimmy Maldonado, who worked as a piercer, was wounded.
