A St. Louis man has been charged with making a terrorist threat after allegedly telling PrideFest organizers he planned to show up at this year’s Pride parade with his guns and “kill every gay person I can before I kill myself.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports 49-year-old Edward Terry created a fake email address using the name of a woman he used to live with in order to send his threat to a parade organizer for PrideSTL.
But, after being notified by the recipient, the FBI tracked the account to Terry’s cell phone.
Terry’s bail was set at $20,000.
St. Louis’ Pride Parade regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators.
Marty Zuniga, vice president of PrideFest, said in a statement to the press that the organization works “hard to produce an event that is safe for all participants.”
“PrideFest takes all threats seriously and works with local law enforcement,” added Zuniga.
The St. Louis Pride Parade was in the news earlier this week after organizers reversed themselves on whether to allow police officers to march in uniform in the June 30 event.
The Post-Dispatch reports that Pride St. Louis requested officers not take part in the parade “citing sensitivities surrounding the 50-year anniversary of the New York police raid on the Stonewall Inn bar that helped spur the gay-rights movement.”
But after meetings and discussions with police and LGBTQ community leaders, the decision was made to allow LGBTQ police officers to march in uniform.
Mayor Lyda Krewson told the Post-Dispatch, “Exclusion of our police or, frankly, anyone is not in the spirit of our city.”
