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ABILENE, Texas - A Texas man was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot people at an Abilene gay pride parade in retaliation for the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
The threats were made nine days after Kirk's death on a Facebook post about the parade scheduled for September 20.
Joshua Cole
Dig deeper:
Joshua Cole of Anson, Texas was arrested and charged with making a threat on Facebook.
On a post about the Abilene Parade & Festival, Cole allegedly wrote: "I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk."
"Theres [sic] only like 30 of em we can send a clear message to the rest of them," Cole wrote, according to police documents. "Come on bro let’s go hunting fairies."
(Source: US District Court filings)
When confronted by officers the next day, Cole admitted he wrote the post under a Facebook account he uses with the name "Jay Dubya."
He admitted to owning a firearm and told officers he didn't think that gay pride events should exist, but denied that he planned to carry out the threats.
The case is under investigation.
What they're saying:
"We want to reassure our community that the safety of everyone at Pride has always been, and will continue to be our top priority," Abilene Pride Alliance wrote in a Facebook post. "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."
The Source: Information in this article comes from United States District Court documents.