An Illinois resident has been arrested for allegedly making violent threats against a Minnesota lieutenant colonel in the comments section following a tragic shooting at a Catholic school.
Caden J. Sluder, 22, is facing felony charges related to these threats made online. The charges were filed through a warrant in Ramsey National District Court in Minnesota on Wednesday.
The comments that landed Sluder in trouble appeared in response to a post by Lt. Col. Peggy Flanagan, who expressed her condolences to the victims of the recent school shooting that claimed the lives of two children.
One of the comments from a now-suspended account said, “You should be truly shot and killed.” Another followed up with, “You should be tied up around your neck,” and included an abbreviated hashtag referencing Flanagan.
According to the charges, Sluder was tracked down by the Minnesota Criminal Arrest Bureau using an IP address linked to the suspended account. State troopers contacted him on August 27. He reportedly apologized, saying that the threats were meant as a joke and that he had no intention of carrying them out.
Sluder explained his anger stemmed from the death of a Christian in the shooting, attributing some of his frustration to Flanagan’s previous support for transgender rights.
In the wake of the shooting, the gunman, who identified as a transgender woman, had recently distanced herself from her prior trans identity before the attack.
Flanagan’s post continues to attract numerous comments, with some declaring, “Track the politicians who incited this violence! Flanagan is one of them.”
Safety concerns among Minnesota politicians have heightened since Senator Melissa Hortman was assassinated at her home in June. On the same night, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were shot but survived the attack.
The accused shooter, Vance Belter, has faced multiple charges, including murder and attempted murder.
