(FiveNation.com)- The California man suspected of trying to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh early on Wednesday was characterized by his former classmates, coworkers, and acquaintances as a pleasant but occasionally “socially awkward” young man who liked to “fly under the radar.”
Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, was not a threat to kill anyone, according to some of the people in his life. The claims against Roske are “very” out of character for him, according to his grandfather, Dan Shannon, who told CBS Los Angeles that his grandson was a “nice boy.”
During the brief time he spent working with her at a pest treatment business in Simi Valley, a former coworker of Roske’s claimed that he did not stand out, but she recalled that Roske became especially “distraught” in the wake of a shooting at a neighboring school. Despite being the only position listed on his scant LinkedIn page, the coworker said that Roske only worked at Valley Guard Pest Control in Simi for a few months in the fall of 2019. In the wake of a shooting at the nearby Saugus High School in November 2019, she claimed that their only substantial interaction was at that time. The shooter, a 16-year-old, killed two of his two victims before turning the gun on himself.
The coworker added that she knew someone who was attending there at the time, and she believes he also did. She claimed that she and a different coworker made an effort to speak optimistically about helping the youngsters who had survived the massacre and who they thought would eventually be well.
And he kind of responded, “No,” she recalled. He suggested that people would never get over this.
Kenny Vergini, a friend and former classmate of Roske’s from Simi Valley High, says that Roske was always extremely nice and extroverted for the most part. Roske was “a touch socially awkward.” The assassination plan came as a complete surprise to him.
According to a criminal complaint, Roske was apprehended by authorities early on Wednesday after getting out of a taxi in front of Kavanaugh’s Maryland residence while wearing all-black clothing. Two deputy U.S. Marshals spotted him. According to the complaint, Roske admitted to calling 911 on himself while having suicidal thoughts and telling the dispatcher that he had traveled “from California to assassinate a certain” Supreme Court justice.
The Glock 17 with two magazines and ammunition, a tactical knife, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, and other equipment were discovered by authorities when they examined his rucksack. Roske admitted to being angry about the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the leaked Supreme Court draft ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that might overturn Roe v. Wade.
Schumer’s threat that Kavanaugh would “pay the price” and “wouldn’t know what hit him” culminated in the form of a “nice kid.”
Kavanaugh better keep an eye out for the bad ones.
