The madman who gunned down 12 people on Sept. 16 at the Washington Navy Yard wrote bizarre messages about his delusion that his mind was being controlled by mysterious electromagnetic waves — on the sawed-off shotgun he used to carry out the slaughter, the FBI showed the public for the first time Wednesday.
“My ELF weapon!” and “Better off this way” were etched on the left side of the Remington 870, photos released by the FBI show.
Investigators say Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old former Navy reservist, believed he was being controlled by extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic waves.
ELF wave technology is used by submarines to communicate when they are at considerable depth below water.
Also etched on the shotgun was “End to the torment” and “Not what yall say!” according to Valerie Parlave, head of the FBI’s Washington field office.
Investigators said Alexis went to a bathroom on the fourth floor of the yard’s Building 197, took out the shotgun and left his backpack hanging on the door of a stall before he began his rampage.
The shotgun had a sawed-off stock and barrel, and the end of the stock was covered in purple duct tape. Alexis also used a Beretta handgun he grabbed inside the Navy Yard before he was gunned down by authorities.