Accused mass killer Damien McDaniel says he is not the person the world is trying to portray him to be.

In a lengthy statement posted on the 22-year-old’s Facebook page, a statement that appears to be from McDaniel says he is a “man of God” with no reason to lie.

Instead, McDaniel stated it was police, prosecutors and others who have lied in his cases. “They say I’m the monster but they’re the ones who are wicked and abuse their power because they want to oppress us,” the Facebook post states.

The statement was initially posted Sunday night but was unavailable by Monday morning. A second post on Monday said much the same with some additional statements.

While he does not outright deny the allegations against him, McDaniel accuses others – police and former lawyers – of wrongdoing.

Efforts to reach McDaniel and his lawyer John Robbins, for comment on the post were not immediately successful but the attorney has previously said his client maintains his innocence.

McDaniel is charged in the slayings of 18 people and the wounding of 30 others in Birmingham in 2023 and 2024.

The murders helped drive Birmingham’s 2024 homicide total past a record high that stood since 1933. The spree may well be the bloodiest in all of Alabama’s 205-year history.

Read full coverage of the charges against McDaniel here

McDaniel is currently a state prison inmate after his probation on a previous shooting was revoked.

He is set to go on trial in 2026 for the first of his many charges – the 2024 mass shooting at Trendsetters lounge in north Birmingham that killed four people and injured 10 others.

He is also charged in the mass shooting at Hush lounge on Birmingham’s Southside that killed four people and wounded 17 others.

“First and foremost, I want to send my condolences to all those who have been affected by these accusations,” the statement read. “I’m not speaking clarity and I’m definitely not asking for pity.”

“This is for me because I see how the world is trying to portray me to be and no, I’m not mad but I will not allow you to defame my character,” according to the statement.

“I wasn’t gone (sic) say or try to clear up the assumptions but the truth is this situation take a toll on more than just me and my family,” the statement read. “It takes a toll on everyone who’s been affected, and I truly send my sincerest condolences because no one deserves to lose a son, a daughter, mother or father so I understand how y’all feel because I’ve lost people I loved.”

“I almost lost my own life on numerous occasions, so I understand,” according to the post.

McDaniel, at the age of 17, was arrested at Fairfield High School for an October 2019 case in which two people were shot in that city.

He pleaded guilty on April 26, 2023, to two counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with two years to serve followed by three years of probation. But he was given credit for time served for the time spent in jail while awaiting the outcome of that case.

The week before Birmingham police announced McDaniel’s arrest in the Hush massacre, Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Chief Assistant District Attorney Lane Tolbert filed a motion to revoke McDaniel’s probation in the 2019 attempted murder cases.

McDaniel, prosecutors contended, violated his probation terms by engaging in “injurious and vicious” habits. He was recorded on social media brandishing firearms at least nine times between April 1, 2024, through Oct. 1.

His probation was revoked on Dec. 12.

“The state did not provide any evidence of me brandishing firearms online,” the post read. “The reason why is because I have never posted a picture of a firearm nor with one.”

“It was a lie that was made up so that they would have a warrant in order to be able to arrest me and then blame me for the hush incident,” according to the post. “I have never been a suspect for any murder until after the Hush shooting.”

“12 day preceding that I was charged with multiple homicides,” the post read. “They allegedly said that a phone was found near the area I was arrested that connected me to the crimes. This was also false information.”

The post goes on to say that McDaniel had no problems with his probation officer until he became a suspect in the Hush massacre. The post said police “illegally planted a tracker on his vehicle” and made other accusations of a “dishonest” search warrant.

The statement said he has been beaten, threatened, and harassed while in prison.

“They have even went as far as putting metal in my food,” he wrote. “They confined me to solitary confinement so that what was being done to me was a secret.”

“I feel as if my life is in danger and they are trying to kill me, which is why I am hesitant to even attend court,” according to the post. “Last time I appeared in court on June 17th the judge was asked to remove to death penalty in which she declined. In her defense it is because in the state of Alabama it’s constitutional.”

The post states McDaniel wants to write about his journey, an “in-depth overview of trials and tribulations.”

“Thank you for your time today, may peace be upon us all and power to the people,” according to the statement.

McDaniel’s first trial is set for April 2026. McDaniel is being held in the Limestone Correctional Facility for the probation revocation.