Man ‘mad at God’ brings gun, knife and ammo to Sunday church service, feds say

On an early Sunday morning, a woman sensed “something was wrong” when she saw Instagram posts shared by a man she described as “very religious,” court documents say.

The posts shared by Rui Jiang — including a video of a Bible burning on a stove and photos of Park Valley Church in Haymarket, Virginia, with concerning captions — prompted her to call the police Sept. 24, according to court documents.

The woman, who said she met Jiang over a dating app and stopped speaking to him earlier in the year, told police “he had a gun, and was making threats,” a 33-page affidavit filed in federal court Feb. 26 says.

One of his Instagram posts included a photo of the Park Valley Church’s sign, with the caption: “I am here to deny the men the life God actively puts so much effort to deny me every day…Blood will be on your hands,” according to the affidavit.

Hours later, a member of the church’s security team saw Jiang, dressed in all black and wearing dark sunglasses during what was a rainy morning, enter the church through a back door as a service was in session, according to the court filing.

Security personnel became suspicious, the affidavit says, as Jiang walked around the church and appeared to look for cameras. He tapped the church’s windows, as if he “was testing the strength of the glass,” according to investigators.

Ultimately, the woman’s tip to law enforcement led to a Prince William County Police officer responding to the church, where security detained Jiang by the time the officer arrived, the affidavit says.

Jiang was found with a gun, knife and ammunition as a large number of congregants attended church, according to federal prosecutors.

In a subsequent interview with police, Jiang said he made the Instagram posts because he was “mad at God,” “not at the church,” according to the affidavit, which says law enforcement learned he was a church member.

At Jiang’s home, authorities found five copies of the same letter, dated Sept. 24, 2023, that said: “I apologize in advance, if any women are harmed…To the families of those men about to be slain — I am sorry for what I have done and about to do,” according to investigators.

While speaking with police, Jiang said he didn’t plan to hurt anyone that day, the affidavit says.

The affidavit supports a criminal complaint charging Jiang, 35, of Falls Church, in connection with online threats toward the church and its congregants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced in a Feb. 27 news release.

Brittany M. Davidson, a federal public defender appointed to represent Jiang, declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on Feb. 29.

Jiang is charged with transmitting an interstate/foreign commerce communication threat to cause bodily injury, the complaint says.

He was initially charged with attempted aggravated murder and other charges in Prince William County, The Associated Press reported.

However, those charges were dropped Feb. 27, allowing for Jiang to be prosecuted in federal court, according to the outlet.

In a statement to McClatchy News on Feb. 29, the church’s senior pastor Barry White said “we praise God for keeping our church safe on September 24th last year.”

“We also pray that Mr. Jiang gets the help he needs because we care about him also,” he said in the statement.

A demand for church donation refund

The investigation into Jiang revealed he sent a series of emails to the church Sept. 22, the affidavit says.

In one email, Jiang asked for a refund on a donation he made to the church, writing “my life has only gotten WORSE,” according to the affidavit.

Another email Jiang sent said “Refund my donation now…I hate you all. Refund my money now. You owe me,” the affidavit says.

One of the church’s pastors told law enforcement that the church did provide Jiang with a refund, according to the affidavit.

The interview with police

While in police custody Sept. 24, Jiang told officers that after donating to the church in June, “his life went downhill and started falling apart,” the affidavit says.

He said he was “speaking out loud to God” when he made his Instagram posts, according to the affidavit.

“(Jiang) admitted that he could see how someone could view his Instagram posts and emails coupled with him showing up to the church armed with a gun as ‘scary,’ but believed it to be a misunderstanding,” the affidavit says.

In one post, Jiang claimed to have worked for the government under a different identity, according to the affidavit.

In the letter found at his home, Jiang wrote that he spent more than 11 years “as a political assassin,” that his life became “worse” when he returned to “normal life,” and his “mental health continues to deteriorate,” the affidavit says.

He also wrote that “what I am about to do is not personal.…I am here deny the love lives bless by God to these lucky men, by taking out these men,” the affidavit says.

Tracey Lenox, the public defender who was appointed to represent Jiang in state court before the charges against him were dropped, told The Associated Press she hoped the case would have continued in Prince William County instead of federal court.

Lenox declined to comment on Jiang’s mental health but said she “believes Jiang has ‘good defenses’ against the charges,” the outlet reported.

Jiang had his first appearance in federal court in Alexandria on Feb. 28, according to court records, which show he’s been ordered to be detained until his detention hearing scheduled for March 1 at 2 p.m.

“We are very thankful for all the efforts of local and federal law enforcement and the judicial system to ensure our safety,” White told McClatchy News. “They have all done an outstanding job.”

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