Kansas man charged in connection to making threats against Nashville Pride

Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
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A Kansas man faces federal charges after Federal Bureau of Investigation agents say he threatened the Nashville Pride Festival & Parade this weekend at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.

Despite the threat, the message for this weekend's Nashville Pride event remains the same.

"Be loud, be proud, be you," Brady Ruffin, Nashville Pride media coordinator told The Tennessean.

Josh Hensley, also known as Josh Echo, 25, of Hoisington, Kansas, was charged with two counts of transmitting an interstate threat against Nashville Pride.

Hensley was arrested Thursday by FBI agents in Kansas. He is due Friday in District of Kansas for a detention hearing.

According to the indictment, on April 26, 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."

Trauma Queen strikes a pose on Broadway while marching during the Pride Festival Parade in Nashville , Tenn., Saturday, June 25, 2022.
Trauma Queen strikes a pose on Broadway while marching during the Pride Festival Parade in Nashville , Tenn., Saturday, June 25, 2022.

Nashville Pride Festival & Parade will be held from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 24 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 25.

Ruffin said the festival is fenced with controlled access, all patron bags are checked at the festival entrance and uniform security will be present throughout the festival.

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

Nashville Pride is aware of the threatening online comment made against the Nashville Pride Festival. Thanks to a swift, coordinated response by the FBI and US Attorney's Office, the individual was apprehended.

"No credible threat existed or currently exists to the Nashville Pride Parade & Festival," Ruffin said.

Safety will be a top priority for Nashville Pride.

Ruffin said Nashville Pride will continue to work directly with a private security company and a number of city, state and federal entities to advise and implement safety measures around the Nashville Pride Festival and Parade.

"We look forward to creating a safe and secure space for the LGBTQ+ community to be authentically and vulnerably themselves this weekend at the Nashville Pride Parade and Festival," Ruffin said.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kansas man charged in connection to making threats against Nashville Pride