A man who walked into a Walmart in Springfield openly carrying a rifle and a hand gun will likely get a couple years probation after pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

Dmitriy Andreychenko pleaded guilty to making a false report in a Greene County courtroom Friday morning.

The now 21-year-old was arrested on August 8th and was charged with making a terrorist threat after he walked into a Walmart Neighborhood Market on Republic and Golden in Springfield wearing tactical gear, carrying two guns and at least 100 rounds of ammunition.

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson has released a statement about the case.

Read the full release below:

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson announces that Dmitriy N. Andreychenko, 21, of Battlefield, Missouri, entered a guilty plea to an amended charge of the class B misdemeanor making a false report.

In the amended charge, the defendant is charged with knowingly causing a false report to be made to the Springfield Police Department on August 8, 2019 that an active shooter situation was about to occur at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on West Republic Road in Springfield, Missouri.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, the defendant received a 180 day suspended jail sentence, two years of probation, with special conditions requiring him to serve 48 hours shock incarceration in the county jail, receive firearms training, and participate in a victim-offender dialog, a restorative justice measure, and any community service established through the restorative justice proceeding.

The investigation by the Springfield Police Department revealed that the defendant did not intend to carry out a shooting at the Neighborhood Market but, instead, was conducting what he called a “social experiment” in the wake of the Dayton, Ohio, mass shooting and the El Paso, Texas, Walmart shootings that had occurred with the week prior to this incident.

The defendant had researched both shootings on his phone and saved the alleged manifesto of the El Paso shooter on his phone. On August 7, 2019, the day before the incident, the defendant posted a picture to Snapchat of a family member wearing the defendant’s body armor looking down the sights of a rifle with the caption, “Watch out Walmart.”

Prior to the incident, the defendant told family and friends of his plan to conduct
this “social experiment” and they all warned him that it was a bad idea and would be
taken seriously given the timing and location so soon after the recent shootings.

Some of these warnings were texted to the defendant just minutes prior to the incident.

More information about the incident:

On August 8, 2019, at approximately 4:09, the defendant walked into the Walmart Neighborhood Market dressed very similarly to the El Paso Walmart shooter wearing tan tactical pants and a black t-shirt.

In addition, the defendant was wearing body armor with magazine pouches. Prior to entering the store, the defendant obtained shopping cart from a return stall near his car and then put on his body armor and slung his AR-15 rifle over his chest in a ready position.

The defendant then walked into the Walmart pushing the cart with one hand and holding his phone in a raised position with his other hand while the rifle remained slung across his front in a ready position.

It appeared to several witnesses he was filming them and the store in a manner that
reminded some of the Christ Church, New Zealand shooter who live streamed the first
17 minutes of his attack.

A number of witnesses noted the defendant’s demeanor seemed odd and that he was smiling or smirking as if he were enjoying what he was doing.

A customer in the parking lot of the Walmart observed the defendant putting on his body armor and then sling the rifle across his front while recording.

Based upon his actions and recent events, she feared for the people inside the Walmart and had her boyfriend call 911. She has never been bothered by people carrying guns in Walmart before but this was different.

The manager of the store is familiar with individuals carrying openly in his store, but also stated this was different. He has managed bars and worked at a store where one customer shot another customer in the front vestibule.

He stated that incident did not even come close to comparing to this incident. He stated the defendant did not appear to be looking for one person but appeared he was going after the masses and appeared to be recording out of the pleasure of seeing the distress, panic and fear of others.

Based upon his observations of the defendant’s dress, the way he was carrying his weapon coupled with the body armor, the video recording, and the defendant’s demeanor, the manager evacuated the store and called 911.

Prosecutor Dan Patterson noted that in our community it is not unusual to observe fellow citizens openly carrying firearms in a responsible manner as is their right.

Officials say this case is a reminder that any time we choose to exercise a right we also have the responsibility to act in a manner that does not threaten the rights of our other fellow citizens.