Authorities say coworker’s call to police may have prevented Palatine man from carrying out mass shooting

PALATINE, Ill. (WGN) — Palatine police say that without a coworker coming forward about concerning messages from Alexandros Paporakis, authorities could be talking about an entirely different situation this week than Paporakis being in custody.

Authorities held a press conference Thursday morning to discuss more details about what led to Sunday's arrest of Paporakis, a 19-year-old Palatine man who allegedly planned a mass shooting targeting a west suburban Hindu place of worship.

"I think we were very fortunate that something much, much worse did not happen," Palatine Police Chief Bill Nord said Thursday.

Police say Paporakis had been planning for two years to commit a mass shooting at Aurora’s largest Hindu temple. On Sunday, authorities say, Paporakis told one of his Taco Bell coworkers he was at a temple, but his gun had jammed and he was on his way to fix it.

The coworker called 911, and authorities say there is video evidence of Paporakis' car being at the temple. Palatine police said they were contacted by the Mount Prospect Police Department just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Police then located and arrested Paporakis at the apartment he shares with his mother in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court in Palatine.

"What prompted the necessity to contact the Mount Prospect Police Department, I think, (are) the communications that were given that day," Nord said.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said he and his family were at the temple in Aurora on Sunday where the mass shooting was supposedly going to happen. Krishnamoorthi released the following statement:

"I am horrified that a white supremacist attempted to carry out a mass shooting targeting Indian Americans at the Hindu temple in Aurora where my family worships. My family and I were there when the attack was attempted last Sunday. The threat of such violence shows how dangerous anti-Indian hatred and white supremacy have become, and we cannot wait until innocent people are killed to take these threats seriously. I am grateful to the suspect’s coworkers who alerted police and commend the law enforcement officers who intervened. Every American deserves to live and worship without fear, and we must stand together against hatred in all its forms."

On Thursday, Krishnamoorthi took some time to speak with WGN-TV on the matter.

"It was the start of a very important holiday called Navaratri, so there were literally thousands of people were visiting throughout the day," he said. "Little did we know, there was an attacker with an AR-15 and 300 rounds of ammunition who was going to commit a mass shooting. I only found out about that last night.

"We know this type of hate is coursing thorough social media online, it’s exploded," Krishnamoorthi continued. "We can’t rely on luck, that’s why we have to condemn the hatred. We can’t stay silent, or worse, condone it or fan the flames. Secondly, we have to redirect the FBI’s focus to domestic violent extremism and trying to uncover these plots."

Disturbing 8-page manifesto

According to authorities, Paporakis had sent an eight-page manifesto to the same coworker describing his hate by using racially charged slurs for a variety of non-white people, including people of Indian descent, Jewish people and Black people.

In the manifesto, authorities say, Paporakis said he planned to kill as many people as possible before killing himself. He also sent images of a rifle, rifle magazines, body armor and other tactical equipment.

According to court documents, the coworker who received the manifesto told authorities Paporakis wrote that he wanted to die, but not "before I sacrifice myself to take revenge on the world. On the subhumans that ruined mine and so many people’s lives."

Court documents also say that in his manifesto, Paporakis encouraged others to follow his lead by committing terroristic acts and wrote that he looked like he was "an ordinary white kid going to college and working. Underneath that façade, was a sociopathic white supremacist Neo Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day."

Paporakis appeared for a detention hearing Wednesday, where a judge ordered him detained.

During a search of Paporakis’ home, police said they found:

• A rifle.
• Multiple loaded rifle magazines.
• Hundreds of rounds of additional rifle ammunition.
• Tactical equipment.
• A tactical vest containing body armor and a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism.

During the investigation, with assistance from the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, detectives also found a document titled, “Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto).”

Authorities say Paporakis had been working at a Palatine Taco Bell. Coworkers there told police he had shared his white supremacist views with them over the seven months he worked there.

Authorities say Paporakis' mother is not cooperating with police and that Paporakis hasn't made any statements. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m. Paporakis is facing a number of felony charges, including making terroristic threats.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Palatine Police Department at 847-359-9000. Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

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