Man Sentenced After Mass Shooting Plot At Prince William County Church

HAYMARKET, VA —A man was sentenced to prison Wednesday for a mass shooting plot at a Prince William County church and online threats against the church.

Rui Jiang, 36, of Fairfax, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release. A jury had convicted Jiang in March in relation to the mass shooting attempt, carrying a gun during the attempt and sharing threats over the internet.

According to prosecutors, Jiang started making online threats against Park Valley Church in Haymarket with intent to kill congregants on Sept. 23, 2023. The next morning, police responded to a concerned resident call and found Jiang at the church while Sunday services were underway.

Prosecutors say Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives, while more ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray were in his car on site. A search of Jiang's apartment found a manifesto, which read in part, "To the families of those men about to be slain — I am sorry for what I have done and about to do. May your tears not be cried in vain, but to celebrate how your loved ones had lived."

"The freedom to worship without fear is one of the bedrock principles of our Nation," said Erik Siebert, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "Rui Jiang set out to violate that principle by entering a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners."