His Aunt Saw Red Flags, Police Got A Risk Warrant

Lee Ann Potter shows a video of Brandon Wagshol (left) on her cell phone. (Ryan Lindsay/Connecticut Public Radio)

Melissa Potter was standing in her kitchen when the call came in. It was her estranged nephew, Brandon Wagshol, and she was surprised — he’d never called her before.

“When I saw his name on the caller ID, I got worried that maybe something horrible had happened,” Potter said. “Or, you know, maybe something was going on with the family that he needed to tell me about. So I picked up the phone.”

Wagshol didn’t say hello. Instead, he told his aunt that he was building an AR-15-style rifle and that he wanted to use her address so he could ship high-capacity magazines to her home in New Hampshire. But in Connecticut, where he lives, magazines holding more than 10 rounds became illegal to purchase, sell or transfer in 2013.

 “I was trying to think of ways to discourage him because I knew this was not a good idea,” she said. “My heart was racing because I knew what he was asking me just sounded very suspicious.”

Read the rest of the story at Connecticut Public Radio’s website.