A Rhode Island man is facing terroristic threat and felony domestic assault charges after he threatened via Facebook a “school shooting” at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, writing in a since-deleted post that he’d ”shoot up random people at Foxboro.”
After the New England Patriots signed Antonio Brown on Sept. 7, the Facebook page of Tobias Gray, 44, featured a post with the threats, his attorney Stefanie DiMaio-Larivee confirmed to USA TODAY Sports by phone.
”The threats were on his page. If he did make them, he was acting as an angry fan,” DiMaio-Larivee said. “He meant no harm, and he wants to make it clear he is not a terrorist.”
Gray’s post vented about the Patriots acquiring Brown and his threats prompted the Foxborough (Massachusetts) Police Department to file a criminal complaint and charge Gray ahead of the Patriots’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
”Since the Patriots signed Antonio Brown I’m going to pull a white boys school shooting at Foxboro,” Gray wrote, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Providence television station ABC 10. “If I ever get my hands on a gun which I don’t have one yet but I’m looking I will shoot up random people at Foxboro.”
The criminal complaint also detailed that social media photos were discovered of Gray holding guns.
East Providence, Rhode Island, police arrested Gray on Sunday in connection with the threats and an unrelated assault charge. He is currently being detained in Rhode Island and will be transported to Foxborough to face the charges there, DiMaio-Larivee said.
Gray appeared in court Monday to face the charges and was wearing a Giants jersey with a blue hoodie because those were the clothes he was arrested in. DiMaio-Larivee confirmed that the charges were amended Monday because Gray threatened a police officer, who is considered a public official, during his Sunday arrest.
In a statement, Foxborough Police Chief William Baker said in reference to serious threats that “the department will respond vigorously and in close collaboration with our local, state and federal partners to take appropriate action as the law allows.”
Messages from USA TODAY Sports to the Patriots were not immediately returned Tuesday.
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