A man is shot dead in Utah after posting threats online, hours before Joe Biden visits the state.
  • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
    1539·
    1 year ago

    So like it’s cool just to murder people exercising their free speech on the internet?

    • negativeyoda@lemmy.world
      201·
      1 year ago

      Freedom of speech, not freedom from the consequences of said speech. It’s explicitly illegal to do what this smoothbrain did.

      He wasn’t killed for saying anything. Sounds like this mouthbreather decided to suicide by cop when they confronted him. I’m no fan of cops, but FAFO in this case

      • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
        19·
        1 year ago

        What law did he break? Please cite it.

        Also if the consequences of “free speech” is being summarily executed or jailed, that isn’t really free speech is it? Do i have the freedom to rob a bank, but not the freedom from the consequences of robbing the bank?

        • StalinIsMaiWaifu@lemmygrad.ml
          7·
          1 year ago

          The warrent had 3 counts: interstate threats, threats against the president, and influencing, impeding and retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat

          Also free speech is shit like: Biden is a terrible president and I fucking hate this country

          Talking about how you should grab your ghillie + rifle to great the president is crossing the line

          • LordOfTheChia@lemmy.world
            3·
            1 year ago

            There’s even more details on other news articles. The guy was making explicit threats to a lot of people:

            "I want to stand over Bragg and put a nice hole in his forehead with my 9mm and watch him twitch as a drop of blood oozes from the hole as his life ebbs away to hell!!” he wrote

            "The time is right for a presidential assassination or two,” Robertson reportedly wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post. “First Joe then Kamala!!!”

            "Hey FBI, you still monitoring my social media? Checking so I can be sure to have a loaded gun handy in case you drop by again,” he wrote in one post.

            https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost.com/2023/08/09/who-was-craig-roberston-utah-man-shot-dead-in-fbi-raid/amp/

    • JillyB@beehaw.org
      5·
      1 year ago

      Credible threats have less free speech protection. But I’m also concerned about this. The article doesn’t have any details about the raid. If they were trying to arrest him and he pulled a gun, then that’s just how it goes. If it was a no-knock raid, then it’s closer to summary execution, in my opinion. Hopefully more details come out about this.

    • EvilColeslaw@beehaw.org
      4·
      1 year ago

      “I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle.”

      “Perhaps Utah will become famous this week as the place a sniper took out Biden the Marxist.”

      Those probably cross the line and might not be protected speech. Especially when posted with pictures of the firearms and equipment in question.

      • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
        14·
        1 year ago

        What line? Where is this line defined? Can you cite some law that he was breaking that necessitated a death-squad to pay him a visit?

        • EvilColeslaw@beehaw.org
          2·
          1 year ago

          Among other possibilities, Utah Code § 76-5-107

          (2) (a) An actor commits a threat of violence if the actor: (i) (A) threatens to commit an offense involving bodily injury, death, or substantial property damage; and (B) acts with intent to place an individual in fear of imminent serious bodily injury, substantial bodily injury, or death; or (ii) makes a threat, accompanied by a show of immediate force or violence, to do bodily injury to an individual. (b) A threat under this section may be express or implied.

          They showed up with an arrest warrant. Unless and until there’s some evidence where they just rolled up with the intent to murder him, I’m going to presume that’s not the case.

          • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
            14·
            1 year ago

            They are cops doing a no-knock raid at 6:00am, of course they are had intent to murder.