An Oregon man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly set off an explosion and fired gunshots at the front door of an apartment in Cornelius.
Samuel Christian Lund, 37, was charged last week with five counts of attempted aggravated murder, four counts of unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree arson, felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, and unlawful possession of a destructive device.
According to court documents, police responded to the apartment on the morning of October 6, when a man who lived there told them he opened his front door at about 4 a.m. and saw a man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask in the stairwell.
He closed the door again and heard a "tink" sound before the explosion. Debris was found in the doorway along with several shell casings. A neighbor reported seeing the suspect leave the area on an e-bike, which was later confirmed by surveillance footage.
During the course of the investigation, a woman reported that she had received threatening text messages from Lund, her ex-boyfriend, the day before the explosion. The texts accused her of "hooking up" with a new man.
" ... you ******* turn around and spit in my face," the messages said. " ...I'm coming for you ... I know where you're at right now ... you might as well just ******* come outside ... I'll be there shortly." The woman also said that Lund owns an e-bike. It's not clear if she was at the apartment at the time of the explosion.
When interviewed by police, Lund admitted he sent the text messages but denied he'd been at the apartment on the morning of the explosion. He reportedly admitted having experience with explosives and told investigators he understood why they might suspect him of setting off the explosion.
Police served a search warrant, however, and found bombs in a backpack in Lund's garage, the court documents say. Lund was arraigned on Friday and is due back in court next Friday.
