Mall shooting suspect 'snapped' after text, documents say

The security guard accused of murdering a young woman in front of shoppers at Coral Ridge Mall last June says he "snapped" after he received a text message from her breaking off their relationship, authorities say.

Police allege Alexander Kozak, 22, fatally shot Andrea Farrington, 20, at the mall in Coralville, where they both worked. It's unclear exactly when Kozak received the text, but he then went home to retrieve a gun, he told police.

A warrant application, part of court documents made public Tuesday, includes this explanation by Kozak after his arrest: "Kozak advised that he snapped and went back to his residence in North Liberty to get his gun (Glock) and packed a bag of clothes. Kozak said that he then returned to the mall and proceeded to shoot the victim three times in the back."

Kozak is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Farrington, of Cedar Rapids, who worked at an Iowa Children's Museum kiosk in the mall. The court documents detail Kozak's actions throughout the day on June 12, but they do not show whether information obtained through the warrants corroborated Kozak's account.

One document shows that Kozak said he was working as a security guard in the mall until 5:20 p.m. Farrington was shot at about 7:30 p.m., according to police. A previous statement from Universal Protection Service, which provides security at the mall, had said Kozak resigned earlier in the day.

A representative from Universal Protection Service did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

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Kozak left the mall after the shooting, the documents say, and headed east on Interstate Highway 80, before being pulled over near the 294 mile marker. Troopers spotted his vehicle, a blue Kia, at about 8:23 p.m. and followed him for about 9 miles before pulling him over.

Authorities allege Kozak threw his cellphone out the window as he was driving. The day after the shooting, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation officers recovered the phone, an LG model with a green case, on the interstate at the 257.7 mile marker.

The unsealed documents show that officials requested warrants to obtain the contents, including text messages, of Kozak's phone, his wife's phone, and Farrington's phone.

Investigators recovered Farrington's iPhone, found near her body in the mall, and had its ownership confirmed by Connor Sirovy, who documents describe as being in a relationship with Farrington.

"It is probable to believe that information regarding the intentions and/or motive of Alexander Kozak could be contained in text messaging content stored in Farrington's iPhone. The text messaging content along with the incoming/outgoing call history from US Cellular would assist investigators in the murder investigation," the warrant application states.

The murder charge Kozak faces is a felony punishable by life in prison without parole. He is currently being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $10 million bond. His trial is scheduled to take place in Story County on April 12.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him at @sgrubermiller.