A 46-year-old Florida man named Shannon Depararro Atkins was arrested by authorities after allegedly posting violent threats against President Donald Trump. Atkins was picked up by police in West Palm Beach and, according to the New York Post, he allegedly carried three baggies filled with cocaine in his pocket.
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Atkins was continuously and vigorously posting about Donald Trump, making violent threats against the president on his personal Facebook page. While it was a common practice for Atkins, days before and following Trump's second inauguration were when Atkins posted more politically charged messages on social media.
"America needs one good bullet to be saved," Atkins allegedly wrote on January 19, just one day before the inauguration. He would later reveal that he was banned from X for saying similar things on the Elon Musk-owned platform.
"I've been banned from "X", because I said I hope and pray someone kills him," Atkins wrote, referencing Trump. "History is supposed to repeat itself. We haven't had an assassination in years." He followed it up with "Bullets please. Please Jesus! Save America," as he shared an image that called inauguration day a "day of mourning."
Threats Investigated
Days after the inauguration, Atikins allegedly continued posting on Facebook. On Friday, January 24, he shared an image of Donald Trump with his late first wife Ivana Trump. The image included the phrase: "I hope they get back together soon."
After the FBI National Threat Operation Center received a tip on Sunday, January 19, they began investigating Atkins. According to Fox News, they secured a probable cause warrant, leading to his arrest on Friday, January 24, hours after he posted his last alleged threats on Facebook.
Atkins was charged with felony intimidation, drug possession, and smuggling contraband.
Not A Joke
While in custody, Atkins reportedly admitted to writing the Facebook posts. However, he claimed he was merely joking. However, West Palm Beach Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo did not find Atkins' posts funny.
"Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing of that sort is a joke," Araujo said during a press conference. "In today's climate, you really can't say things like this. We have incident after incident, example after example of when these threats become real. And we take these very seriously."
"We have incident after incident, example after example, of when these threats become real, and we take these very seriously," Araujo continued. "Did we avert something? You never know. I do know that we developed probable cause, we arrested Mr. Atkins and he's going to have to answer the charges."
Shannon Depararro Atkins is currently under investigation by the Secret Service which is evaluating pursuing additional federal charges against Atkins. Jail records reportedly show that he was denied bail.
