Arkansas man charged after he threatened a Walmart mass shooting over hantavirus lockdown fears

A man in Arkansas has been criminally charged after he allegedly threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a local Walmart store should the hantavirus outbreak result in a nationwide lockdown similar to those seen during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Aaron Keith Bynum, of Oakland, Arkansas, was arrested and charged with first-degree terroristic threatening — a Class D felony — and harassing communications, a Class A misdemeanour. Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander announced the charges in a press release on 15 May. His bond was set at $2,500.

FBI tip traced threat to online gaming account

"The arrest stems from an investigation into threats made on-line," the press release stated. According to the release, the FBI received a tip on 9 May that "an individual in an online multiplayer game had threatened a mass shooting at his local Walmart if the country were locked down again due to the Hantavirus."

The tipster provided the player's username along with an in-game recording of the alleged threats. A subpoena issued on 11 May to the game's parent company identified Bynum, 20, as the owner of the account in question.

On 13 May, the FBI's Fayetteville Field Office contacted the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and passed the information on to its Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

Search warrant and arrest

The MCSO subsequently obtained a search warrant for Bynum's home on 14 May, along with a probable cause affidavit for his arrest.

On 15 May, investigators seized a computer and computer accessories from the property. Bynum was arrested and taken to the Marion County Detention Centre (MCDC) without incident, according to the sheriff's press release.

Context: Hantavirus outbreak and cruise ship deaths

Bynum's alleged threat came in the weeks following an outbreak of a rare strain of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which resulted in three deaths and at least 10 confirmed cases.

The strain involved is notable for its capacity for human-to-human transmission — a characteristic not typically associated with more common hantavirus strains.

Hantavirus is an infectious disease ordinarily spread through contact with rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and the white-footed mouse, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus is generally transmitted to humans via bites or through exposure to the urine, droppings or saliva of an infected rodent.

On 16 May, health officials launched an investigation after an adult in Colorado died from hantavirus.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed that a resident of Douglas County had contracted the rodent-borne virus, resulting in their death. Authorities stated that this case is unrelated to the recent cruise ship outbreak.