RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — New court documents paint a clearer picture of led to a Cary man’s arrest after waiving a gun on NC State’s campus in September.
NC State University Police arrested 24-year-old Zachary Paul Olson at around 12:13 a.m. on Sept. 9. Little was known about Olson’s weapon-involved appearance on the campus until Monday when a search warrant and probable cause affidavit were made public.
‘Rapiest’ frat
Officers with the Raleigh Police Department and NCSU campus police responded to the call for help near Chipotle at 2316 Hillsborough Street. It was there that Olson was “confronting NC State students and waving a handgun,” the affidavit said.
NCSU police Sgt. M. St. John learned on-scene that Olson had asked a group of female students, “What is the ‘rapiest’ frat on campus?” In response, students reportedly told him “Pike,” indicating the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
At this point, the affidavit said Olson turned and started walking away.
When students asked Olsen why he was asking the question, the affidavit said Olson “pulled [a] small, black pistol out of his waistband, waved the pistol around, and stated he was going to ‘teach them a lesson.'” Olson kept walking in the direction of the university’s Greek village on Fraternity Court Way, police said.
He was later found on Dan Allen Drive where Sgt. St. John detained him and took possession of the handgun. Sgt. St. John said the gun was a loaded Ruger Max-9 found on his waistband and that she found an additional gun magazine and several “loose bullets” on him.
Olson was subsequently charged with carrying a gun on educational property and carrying a concealed weapon.
Detectives described Olsson’s actions as “a threat of mass violence on educational property”. However, the “Wolf Alert” emergency notifications never went out to the N.C. State students, parents, and the rest of the school community about the gunman on campus.
“It’s pretty crazy if you have a gun on campus and you don’t get an alert about that,” NC State student Manav Patel said.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, campus spokesperson Lauren Barker confirmed that no Wolf Alert went out, saying, “N.C. State police received a report and quickly responded to apprehend, detain, and charge the suspect and remove the weapon. Notification was not required as there was no immediate threat to campus.”
Background on Olson
In CBS 17’s previous reporting, we established Olson had no affiliation with the university and had started an internship locally with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office in August which was subsequently “terminated.”
So, why was he there?
In an interview after his arrest with Sgt. St. John, Olson told her he was out for “vigilante justice” against rapists in colleges and fraternities.
Olson “opened up” during this interview, telling Sgt. St. John about an experience at Clemson University in which his ex-girlfriend had been raped by a fraternity member. In fact, Olson said he “listened to the rape as it was happening,” the affidavit said.
After a period of five years, Olson said he recently re-connected with his ex-girlfriend. She reportedly told Olson she had reported the sexual assault to Clemson’s campus police but “decided not to pursue the investigation because she had to recount her story.”
When Olson was asked by Sgt. St. John if his plan was to kill people, he said “yes” before he later changed his answer to “no.” He said he had walked to the NCSU Greek village armed but that once he had gotten there “his anger has dissipated,” the affidavit said.
Search warrant findings
Olson told police in “spontaneous statements” that his vehicle contained ammunition and others from when he purchased the handgun seized the day of his arrest on campus.
After consenting to a search of his car and proving the location of the car, police said they found:
- an empty box of Hornady 9mm ammunition,
- receipts and other documents for the purchase of the firearm,
- a used target,
- the original gun box for the Ruger, and
- a Black Android cell phone.
The next step in the investigation is searching Olson’s Android phone, which remains in the evidence room of the NCSU Police Department. Wake County Superior Court Judge Craig Croom has signed off on the search warrant request from Jorge Cabezas Jr., the lead detective on the case for NCSU police.
In applying for the search warrant, Cabezas Jr. said he believed evidence on that phone could prove to be enough to also charge Olson with communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property. Det. Cabezas Jr. said, in his experience, the path to mass violence typically involves forethought, ideation, planning and preparation.
The data subject to the search includes browsing and purchase history as well as GPS location, among other things. Court documents show the search warrant application was approved on Oct. 10 and the search was executed on Oct. 14.
The findings of that search have not yet been released, however. Det. Cabezas Jr. asked for a delay in returning the warrant’s findings to the Clerk of Courts “due to the necessity of having a trained specialist perform this task.” The detective said he’s seeking a “full electronic analysis” by a specialist who can recover data, including information that’s been hidden, deleted, or erased.
CBS 17’s Baron James spoke to Olson’s mother at their Cary home. She declined to comment on the situation. Olson’s attorney, Brad Polk, also declined to comment.
Olson bailed out of jail on $3,000 bond last month. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 15.