Authorities say 3 potential mass shootings were foiled in recent days

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Three potential mass shootings in different states were foiled over the last several days, authorities announced Sunday, thanks to tips from the public.

In Connecticut, Brandon Wagshol, 22, was arrested after police received a tip he wanted to buy large capacity rifle magazines from out of state. He wrote on Facebook that he was interested in committing a mass shooting, the Norwalk Police Department and FBI said, and he faces four charges of illegal possession of large-capacity magazines.

Tristan Scott Wix, 25, of Daytona Beach, Florida, was arrested Friday after he allegedly sent his ex-girlfriend text messages threatening to commit a mass shooting. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said Wix allegedly told the ex-girlfriend "a good 100 kills would be nice," and he wanted to die and "have fun while doing it." Wix will be charged with making threats to kill or do bodily injury, and is being held without bond.

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James Patrick Reardon, 20, was arrested Saturday after allegedly threatening to carry out a shooting at a Jewish community center in Youngstown, Ohio. New Middletown Police Chief Vincent D'Egidio told CNN that Reardon's Instagram account featured a video showing a man firing a gun, with the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown tagged. This message was shown to a police officer, authorities said, which led to Reardon's arrest on one count of telecommunications harassment and one count of aggravated menacing. His Instagram account also included white nationalist and anti-Semitic comments, police said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.