Kentucky man threatened to turn VA hospital into 'another El Paso,' authorities say

Days after a mass shooting left 22 dead at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, a Kentucky man allegedly threatened to turn his local Veterans Affairs Medical Center into "another El Paso," according to federal authorities.

According to a criminal complaint, Scott Greiner called a Kansas City, Missouri-based VA contractor on Aug. 7 and spoke with two representatives about a medical appointment at the VA Medical Center in Lexington, where he is a patient.

Greiner, 57, became angry during the phone call about having to call every three months to schedule his appointments, according to the complaint.

According to the representatives from the VA contractor, Greiner said "he was going to his local VA to either turn it into another El Paso or give it an El Paso welcome with one or two M-16 rifles," the complaint states.

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The mass shooting that killed 22 people and wounded dozens more at a Walmart in El Paso took place four days before Greiner allegedly made the threatening phone call.

"One of the customer service representatives told investigators that the phone call lasted for approximately 6 minutes during which time Greiner expressed empathy and understanding to those who have committed mass shootings," FBI Special Agent David Lowery wrote in the federal affidavit.

The VA contractor reported the call to the VA Medical Center in Lexington, according to federal authorities.

Greiner did not answer when the VA attempted to contact him, so Fayette County sheriff's deputies went to his residence.

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Greiner admitted to making the call and being angry but denied making any threats, the criminal complaint states.

When FBI agents and VA police interviewed Greiner on Aug. 13, he continued to deny making a threat but admitted he was angry and told the customer service representative that "you don't want this to have to be another El Paso incident," according to the affidavit.

Greiner is facing a federal charge of sending a threatening message across state lines, according to court records.

CNN reported Thursday that the FBI has arrested more than a dozen people around the country over mass shooting threats allegedly made in the weeks since 31 people were fatally shot in one weekend in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio.

Greiner made an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington and was assigned a court-appointed attorney, according to court records.

He is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center, according to jail records, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.