Man Says He Felt 'Compelled' To Open Fire in AZ Strip Club

PHOENIX (AP) — A man accused of opening fire in a Phoenix strip club, killing two people and injuring three others, told police that he had planned the crime and chose the victims at random, according to a court document released Tuesday.

Gavin MacFarlane, 28, of Scottsdale, is accused of shooting four people with a .38-caliber revolver and physically attacking a fifth person at the Great Alaskan Bush Company shortly before midnight Sunday. Patrons tackled and beat him after he ran out of ammunition.

MacFarlane's mug shot shows him with a torn shirt; a bloody nose, chin, and forehead; and the beginning of two black eyes. MacFarlane has been jailed on a $2 million cash bond, and it was unclear whether he has a lawyer.

In the Maricopa County Superior Court document released Tuesday, Phoenix police wrote that MacFarlane had been a previous patron of the club and that he told investigators he planned the attack.

"Gavin stated that he had brought the weapon with him as part of a plan he had formulated in his mind," police wrote. "He admitted entering the club and remaining there for a period of time as a patron. He then said he reached a point where he made the decision to go out to the parking lot and obtain his weapon from his vehicle, then return to the club with the intention of shooting the first people he came in contact with."

Police wrote that MacFarlane said he knew what he did was wrong, "but stated he felt compelled to commit this offense."

"He said the victims were not specifically targeted, but rather were randomly targeted," police wrote. "He stated he stopped shooting because he ran out of ammunition and added that the may have continued to shoot additional people had he possessed more ammunition."

Troy Cooley, 34, a security guard at the west Phoenix club, was shot and killed. A club patron, Antonio Garcia, 20, also died. A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old topless dancer were wounded. MacFarlane hit a fifth man in the face with his gun and punched him when he ran out of bullets, police said.

Amanda Holland, a dancer at the club, told KTVK-TV that the gunmen told another dancer "you're next" but Cooley stood in front of the woman, taking the bullet that was meant for her.