‘Active shooter’ was actually a man protesting Target’s transgender bathroom policy

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On Monday afternoon, police in Bradley, Ill., responded to a Target store after dispatchers received a call about an active shooter.

A man was taken into custody outside the store after what a local newspaper, the Daily Journal, called a “dramatic, full court press by dozens of police officers.” But the man wasn’t armed, and there wasn’t any indication that he had been shooting in the store, police later said.

Here’s what had actually happened, authorities said: The man, identified as 39-year-old Michael L. Merichko, had caused a disturbance inside the store while protesting Target’s corporate stance on transgender customers and employees and bathrooms.

Merichko was charged with disorderly conduct in the incident. He was released on $75 bond on Monday, jail records indicated.

“Merichko’s actions provoked a breach of the peace causing panic among store employees and customers,” a Bradley Police Department news release states. “Investigators have determined that Merichko made no threats of shooting anyone in the store.”

Although there were no gunshots, the Daily Journal reported that witnesses said “Merichko shouted out several warnings, including, ‘America is going to hell.'”

Lt. Michael Johnston of the Bradley Police Department told The Washington Post on Wednesday that Merichko hadn’t threatened anyone during his arrest but had yelled during the incident and “obviously scared a lot of people.”

“As to what his specific words were, I do not know,” Johnston said.

Authorities in Bradley, about an hour’s drive south of Chicago, were trying to figure out why the incident was reported as an active-shooter situation, Johnston said.

Target has been the focus of considerable attention since the company released a statement in April saying that it welcomed “transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”

“Inclusivity is a core belief at Target,” the corporate statement said. “It’s something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.”

An online petition by the American Family Association calling for a boycott of Target over the company’s stance had more than 1.1 million signatures by Thursday morning.

Target’s statement came about a month after North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, R, signed a law in the state that banned local governments from extending nondiscrimination protections to gay and transgender people.

The legislation requires people in schools and government buildings to use the bathroom that matches the sex listed on their birth certificate. On Wednesday, the Justice Department warned that North Carolina’s measure violates federal civil rights law.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Sarah Larimer

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