A federal grand jury indicted a Knoxville, Tennessee, man on two counts of interstate threats after an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Knoxville into social media posts threatening to kill U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security said.
David Kerr was indicted on September 16 over public posts he allegedly made on the social media platform BlueSky, which said "time to bear spray ICE" and "kill the ICE military police."
"This man publicly and shamelessly threatened the brave men and women of ICE on social media, calling for them to be injured and killed," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "Anyone who threatens federal law enforcement will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Mullin said Kerr faces up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted, adding: "This violent rhetoric against our law enforcement must stop."
Kerr appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on September 21 and entered a plea of not guilty. The maximum sentence for each violation is five years, and each charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. The trial is scheduled for November 24, 2026.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by HSI.