Judge allows bond for man accused of making terroristic threat in Mo. Walmart

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KYTV) - The man charged with making a terroristic threat at a south Springfield Walmart is expected to be released from the Greene County Jail Monday.

A Greene County judge set bond at $10,000 Dmitriy Andreychenko, 20. Police arrested him on Thursday after walking into a Springfield Walmart Neighborhood Market in fatigues, openly carrying a tactical rifle, armed with a handgun and at least 100 rounds of ammunition.

Andreychenko appeared Monday morning before Judge Mark Powell, who scolded him and stressed he had better stay out of trouble. Judge Powell also made assurances there were no more guns in Andreychenko’s house.

Defense attorney Dee Wampler understands authorities confiscated two AR15’s, a 22 rifle and ammo.

Judge Powell said he considered house arrest for Andreychenko, but ultimately decided against it.

Andreychenko works at an area trucking company.

A judge ordered him back in court in mid-September.

A former member of the military who held Dmitriy Andreychenko at gunpoint until police arrived said the El Paso shootings were one of the first things that came to his mind.

A probable cause statement released by the Springfield Police Department outlined new details surrounding an altercation with an armed man inside a south Springfield Walmart, on Thursday, including a statement from the suspect that he wanted to see if his second amendment rights would be respected.

Dmitriy Andreychenko, 20, told investigators that he pulled into the Walmart parking lot and started to record himself with his phone. He grabbed his body armor from the trunk, along with his rifle, and put them on.

From there, Andreychenko told investigators that he grabbed a shopping cart and made his way into the store, curious to see if anyone would stop him and tell him to leave. "I wanted to know if that [sic] Walmart honored the second amendment," said Andreychenko.

Andreychenko said his intentions were to buy grocery bags, and that he didn’t intend for anyone to have a negative response. He said the rifle had a loaded magazine, but no round in the chamber, and that he also had a handgun on his right hip, which was loaded with one round in the chamber.

Andreychenko said he was surprised by other customers' reactions, telling investigators, "This is Missouri. I understand if we were somewhere else, like New York or California, people would freak out." He told investigators that he put on body armor to protect himself after several recent shootings across the country.

Andreychenko said he heard the fire alarm go off while he was inside the store, and made his way to an exit. That's where he was confronted by a citizen with a gun. The man pointed the gun at Andreychenko and told him to put his hands up.

In a separate interview with Andreychenko's wife, Angelice, she told investigators Andreychenko had told her of his plan to walk into Walmart with a gun, and that she told him it was not a smart idea; that people would take him seriously due to recent mass shootings.

She told investigators that Andreychenko said he wanted to see if Walmart would respect his second amendment rights. Angelice referred to Andreychenko's actions as those of an immature boy.

Anastasia Andreychenko, the suspect’s sister, said she received a call from him just after 3 p.m. on Thursday. Andreychenko asked her if she would videotape him going into the Walmart with a gun, and that he referred to the action as a social experiment on how his second amendment right would be respected in a public area. Anastasia told him it was a bad idea, and that she did not want to help him take video.

Walmart surveillance video showed the sequence of events, including Andreychenko donning a ballistic vest and rifle, and walking through the aisles of the store while recording with his cell phone. According to the probable cause statement, the surveillance video showed other customers running away from Andreychenko while he made his way through the store.

Andreychenko currently faces charges of making a terrorist threat in the second degree. If convicted he could face up to four years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

The Greene County Prosecutor’s office filed the charges against Andreychenko.

Greene County prosecutor Dan Patterson released a statement saying in part, "Missouri protects the right of people to open carry a firearm, but that right does not allow an individual to act in a reckless and criminal manner endangering other citizens."

The statement goes on to say, "As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously explained, ‘the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater causing a panic.’” Mr. Patterson also recommended everyone who exercises their right to carry a weapon to do so in a responsible manner.

Patterson also offered thoughts and prayers to the Battlefield Police Officer and a citizen who were injured in a car crash while the officer was responding to the Walmart: Neighborhood Market.

Springfield attorney Scott Pierson said in order to be charged, the prosecutor had to prove there was an implied threat.

The Springfield Police Department says they responded to a call of an active shooter at the Walmart: Neighborhood Market at Republic Rd., near Golden Ave., Thursday evening.

The Springfield Police Department arrived on scene within three minutes of the call. Police stated that a young white male, appearing to be in his twenties, pulled up to the Walmart, where he donned body armor and military fatigues. Police say the man had tactical weapons.

Police then say the man walked into the Walmart: Neighborhood Market where he grabbed a cart and began pushing it around the store. Police say the man was recording himself walking through the store via a cell phone.

The store manager at the Neighborhood Market pulled a fire alarm, urging people to escape the store.

Police say the man then made his way out an emergency exit where a former firefighter held the man at gunpoint. At that moment Springfield Police arrived on scene and detained the man.

The Springfield Police Department could not confirm the nature of statements said by the man to those inside of the Walmart, but they do confirm that the man had loaded weapons, and over one hundred rounds of ammunition.

Police also observed many shoppers hiding outside the Walmart and at nearby businesses.

Lieutenant Mike Lucas said it was clear the man's intent was to cause chaos, saying in part, "His intent was not to cause peace or comfort...He's lucky he's alive still, to be honest."

Police identified the man’s vehicle and are investigating the possibility of more firearms inside the vehicle.

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