A 42-year-old man in Texas has been arrested after threatening a violent assault on a Pride Parade as retribution over the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Joshua Cole allegedly made statements on Facebook on 18th September where he allegedly suggested shooting people at the Abilene Pride Parade.
“fk their parade, I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk,” he is said to have written. In court documents it’s alleged that Cole continued the conversation saying “theres only like 30 of em we can send a clear message to the rest of them.” and “bro let’s go hunting fairies.”
His comments were in response to a post about how firearms would not be permitted at the parade or the celebrations that followed.
Cole was arrested by the FBI the following day, he told investigators that while he’d made the statements he did not intend to go through with the threat to shoot people. He reportedly said he disagreed with the parade taking place.
In an affidavit FBI Special Agent Sam Venuti stated that Cole had made very specific threats, “The threats were specific. The threats were also specific to a particular set of victims: people participating in the gay Pride parade.”
Cole appeared in court on Thursday where he was charged with making threatening communications and was remanded in custody while awaiting trial.
Abilene Pride have released a statement about the incident.
“On Thursday evening, our organization was made aware of a potential threat to this year’s Pride Parade. We immediately contacted the Abilene Police Department (APD), who confirmed they were already aware of the situation and actively investigating.
“By Friday morning, we were informed that the FBI had made an arrest connected to the threat and that additional officers would be assigned to ensure the safety of all participants and attendees. We want to reassure our community that the safety of everyone at Pride has always been, and will continue to be our top priority.
“The swift action and continued diligence of APD and federal partners reflect their commitment to protecting our city and ensuring that Pride remains a safe, inclusive, and celebratory space for all. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Abilene Police Department for their consistent support and outstanding coverage year after year, which has helped create an environment where our community can gather with confidence, joy, and pride.
“We also want to send our heartfelt gratitude to our community. When we asked for help to strengthen security at Pride, you answered that call with generosity, donating over $4,000 to ensure additional safety measures were in place. Your support directly secured the safety of this year’s events, and we could not be more grateful.
“As this is an active and ongoing investigation, the Abilene Pride Alliance Board will not be providing further comment at this time.” the said.
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