Texas Man Charged After Threatening to Attack Abilene Pride Parade

A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at the Abilene Pride Parade in retaliation for the assassination of anti-LGBTQ activist Charlie Kirk.

According to an FBI affidavit, 42-year-old Joshua Cole posted multiple violent threats on Facebook on September 18, one day before his arrest. In the comments, which were later submitted as evidence in federal court, Cole appeared to call for armed retaliation against parade attendees, writing, “Fk their parade, I say we lock and load and pay them back for taking out Charlie Kirk.”

The threats came just over a week after Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. His death sparked a wave of online conspiracy theories and retaliatory rhetoric, particularly targeting LGBTQ people. While authorities have not established a motive in Kirk’s killing, the incident has fueled dangerous misinformation, including unfounded claims that transgender individuals were responsible.

In response to a Facebook post criticizing Abilene Pride’s “no guns” policy, Cole wrote: “They don’t want anyone showing up and taking them out like they wanna do with everyone else. Maybe we should protest lol.” In another message, he added, “[T]here’s only like 30 of [them] we can send a clear message to the rest of them,” followed by, “[C]ome on bro lets go hunting fairies.”

The FBI’s investigation began immediately. Special Agent Sam Venuti attempted to speak with Cole at his workplace, only to learn that Cole had recently quit in anger. He was arrested later that day during a traffic stop. According to the affidavit, Cole did not appear surprised when told that the visit was related to his “online activity.”

Court documents say Cole admitted to making the posts and acknowledged that “a reasonable person could interpret his comments as a threat.” He also confirmed that he owns a firearm. Although he denied any plan to attack parade participants, he told agents he believed the event “should not be allowed.”

In the affidavit, Venuti wrote that Cole’s threats were “not conditional,” and “not mere idle or careless talk, exaggeration or something said in only a joking manner.” Instead, they were “specific to a particular set of victims: people participating in the gay pride parade.”

The Abilene Pride Parade took place as scheduled on September 20, with enhanced security measures. The Abilene Pride Alliance later addressed the incident publicly in a Facebook post: “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.”

Cole, who was previously arrested in 2019 on a separate terrorist threat charge, has been ordered to remain in custody at the Taylor County Jail until trial. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

His arrest comes amid a broader surge in threats and violence against LGBTQ people across the country. Between May 2024 and May 2025, GLAAD documented nearly 1,000 anti-LGBTQ incidents across 49 states. More than half of those incidents targeted transgender and gender non-conforming people, marking a 14 percent increase from the previous year.

On the same day Cole posted his threats, the anti-LGBTQ think tank Heritage Foundation issued a petition urging the FBI to label “Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violent Extremism” as a domestic terrorist threat—a designation unsupported by evidence. In reality, data shows that transgender people are four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime.

Federal authorities say their investigation into threats against LGBTQ communities remains ongoing.