Joshua Hensley, Online Threats Toward Pride Event, Tennessee 2023

Kansas Man Charged with Online Threats Toward Nashville Pride Event

A Kansas man has been charged with making online threats to commit acts of violence at an upcoming Nashville Pride event, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.

Joshua Hensley, aka Josh Echo, 25, of Hoisington, Kansas, was arrested by FBI agents on April 27, 2023, at his home in Kansas and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday in the District of Kansas.

According to the indictment, on April 26, 2023, Hensley posted comments to a Facebook post for Nashville Pride and threatened to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event.” In another comment posted the same day, Hensley threatened to “commit a mass shooting.”

“We will not tolerate hate-based, threats of violence designed to intimidate Tennesseans,” said U.S. Attorney Leventis. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI to ensure that the civil rights of all persons are protected.”

If convicted, Hensley faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.

This case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nani M. Gilkerson of the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The current status of the defendant is that he is being held pending a detention hearing.

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