Who is Tres Genco? Ohio 'incel', 21, allegedly wanted to kill over 3,000 women in mass shooting
A self-described incel has been caught and charged by the FBI and indicted by a federal grand jury in Ohio on July 21, 2021. According to documents, Tres Genco has been charged with one count of attempting to commit a hate crime for planning a mass shooting of girls at an Ohio university. The shocking arrest comes as Genco was planning to shoot upward of 3,000 girls and even wrote a manifesto of his plans.
Genco is not the first incel, or involuntary celibate, to be caught this year. On April 15, federal authorities arrested Malik Sanchez in Manhattan for threatening to detonate a bomb at a restaurant. On March 3, Canadian Alek Minassian was convicted for 10 murders, and 16 attempted murders in Toronto. The sudden rise in incels is a cause for concern, given that women continue to face dangers every day. A sign of just how bad things are appeared in July when a girl recorded a TikTok of her male classmates casually discussing rape.
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From documents, it appears Genco planned a major attack, with casualties much bigger than those of Minassian or Sanchez. Here's everything we know about Genco, and how he planned to kill thousands of innocent students out of frustration.
Who is Tres Genco?
The 21-year-old is a resident of Hillsboro, Ohio. Beyond the Department of Justice press release, little is known about Genco. The DoJ says he attended Army Basic Training in Georgia from August to December 2019 but was discharged for entry-level performance and conduct. He does have an Instagram and Twitter account, but they don't appear to be frequently used. On Instagram for instance, Genco has only a handful of pictures.
Based on his Twitter account bio, Genco studied at Ohio University and appears to have an interest in computer science. His Twitter account is filled with retweets about computers linked to brain functions, a niche area of research recently made popular by Elon Musk's company Neuralink. We found a Facebook page that belongs to Genco, which says he is originally from Santa Cruz, California. The account states he currently lives in Chillicothe and started studying at Ohio University in February 2021.
Tres Genco's manifesto called death 'great equalizer'
Genco was arrested by the FBI for allegedly having a manifesto,and conducting internet searches in order to prepare for a mass shooting. Between July 2019 and March 2020, Genco reportedly maintained profiles on a popular incel website. It appears he was inspired by "known Incel Elliot Rodger". In 2014, Rodger killed six people in a mass shooting at the University of California, prior to which he shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun. Documents say Genco wanted to do the same, only this time on a much larger scale.
The FBI found a note saying Genco hoped to “aim big” for a kill count of 3,000 people, and even referenced the same day as Rodger's attack. He also wrote a chilling manifesto, claiming he would "slaughter" women "out of hatred, jealousy, and revenge" and referring to death as the "great equalizer." The same day he wrote the manifesto, he allegedly searched for sororities and a university in Ohio.
It appears Genco had been planning the attack for a long time. Prosecutors allege Genco purchased tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a hoodie bearing the word “Revenge,” cargo pants, a bowie knife, a skull facemask, two Glock 17 magazines, a 9mm Glock 17 clip, and a holster clip concealed carry for a Glock in 2019. It is also believed he attended army training for the purpose of conducting the attack.
In January 2020, Genco wrote a document titled "isolated", which he described as "the writings of the deluded and homicidal." Genco signed the document, "Your hopeful friend and murderer." On January 15, 2020, he also conducted surveillance at an Ohio university, and the same day searched the internet for topics including "planning a shooting crime" and "when does preparing for a crime become an attempt?"
In March 2020, Highland County sheriff’s deputies raided Genco's house. They found among other things, a firearm with a bump stock attached, several loaded magazines, body armor, and boxes of ammunition. It is also reported Genco illegally owned a machine gun, for which he was also charged. The press release did not state when Genco would be brought before a judge. If found guilty, he faces 10 years for the firearm charge and life in prison for the hate crime charge.