NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Long Island man “terrorized” Suffolk County residents with anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ messages and shot at cars and buildings throughout the area over the span of several months, prosecutors said Friday.
Christopher Keller, 36, of Manorville, sent several people messages that included “death threats, maps with their addresses marked off, photos of their family members and violently pornographic images, as well as harassing messages that were anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ in nature” between July 2020 and February, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said Friday.
One of Keller’s victims received Instagram messages that contained anti-Semitic comments and Holocaust imagery, the DA’s office said. Keller also harassed several victims via telephone, prosecutors said.
In addition to sending hateful, fear-inducing messages, Keller fired shots at four different buildings in Suffolk County between July and December of last year, including a home in Kings Park and businesses in Holtsville, Medford and Nesconset, the DA’s office said.
Keller also used a pellet gun to shoot at cars outside homes in Medford and Kings Park, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement officials who searched Keller’s home on Feb. 12 found an assault rifle, a .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, a .22 caliber rifle and several large capacity ammunition feeding devices, the DA’s office said.
“This defendant is an alleged menace who has terrorized a number of individuals in our community based on his perception of their religion and their sexual orientation,” District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a statement.
Keller’s alleged victims “fear[ed] for their lives and the safety of their loved ones,” he added.
Keller — who faces an array of charges including criminal possession of a weapon, aggravated harassment, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment — was arraigned on Friday, the DA's office said.
He was released on $300,000 cash bail, with GPS monitoring and supervision, and could face up to seven years in prison if he is convicted, according to the DA's office.
His attorney information wasn’t immediately available Friday.