A Raleigh 19-year-old, allegedly obsessed with mass shootings and with plans to carry out his own, appeared in court for the first time Thursday on federal charges of communicating threats.
Eric Byrd was originally scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday, but a bomb threat prompted an evacuation and delayed some hearings, including Byrd's.
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During his appearance Thursday, Byrd's family said they plan to hire a private attorney for him.
However, an attorney had not officially notified the court by the time of his hearing, so Byrd was represented by court-appointed attorney on Thursday.
Byrd faces a felony charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce to injure other people.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, fines or both.
Raleigh police and the FBI filed an involuntary commitment request for Eric Byrd, later detaining him on March 9. He was charged by federal officials with communicating a threat last Thursday.
According to charging documents, Byrd had an obsession with mass shooters and sought to follow in their footsteps. He commonly posted photos of himself holding guns and used pro-Nazi and white supremacist messaging in his content, notably saying, "I love death and destruction. I hope much more comes."
Byrd is scheduled to appear in court again on March 31 for both his detention and preliminary hearings, where he will have the opportunity to testify.
As of Thursday, he is to remain in jail.
