By Steve Neavling
A Colorado man charged with threatening to embark on a mass shooting at Denver’s FBI building and Homeland Security office was sentenced to 21 months in prison, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Kyle William Staebell, 34, was convicted of transmitting interstate threats.
Hours before his arrest last year, Staebell tweeted that “the USA government is run by a bunch of pedos” and warned on the bureau’s online tip portal that he would try to “kill as many” people “as possible.”
Staebell wrote, “I am going to walk up to the FBI offices and start shooting everyone I see and will throw explosives.”
He also tweeted, “How to do a mass shooting at the DHS offices? How to do a mass shooting at the FBI offices?” He followed that up typing, “TOMORROW I WILL DO AL [sic] MASS SHOOTING AT THE FBI AND DHS OFFICES.”
He also threatened to shoot up a Colorado-based performing arts group’s location in January 2023.
“The Office of the United States Attorney of Colorado is committed to prosecuting individuals who threaten the safety and security of Coloradans,” Cole Finegan, U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado. “We remain grateful to our law enforcement partners who were able to swiftly investigate this case and keep our communities safe.”
Before making the threats, prosecutors said Staebell scoped out each of the three locations in person, conducted online research about acts of mass violence, and possessed a Molotov cocktail.
During questioning with law enforcement, Staebell allegedly said he “is upset at the government because the government had not responded to previous reports that he filed” and “stated the government is full of pedophiles.”
“Free speech is protected by the First Amendment, but when speech crosses the line into threats of violence, it becomes a crime,” Mark Michalek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver Field Office, said. “Violence and threats of violence have no place in our society, and this sentence demonstrates our resolve to disrupt plots to commit mass violence and keep our communities safe.”
