Isaiah Oglesby (left) and James Thomas Goolsby (Pinellas County Sheriff”s Office).
Two Florida men are in custody after they were both accused of making terroristic threats and allegedly planning a mass shooting.
On Monday, Isaiah Oglesby, 23, and James Thomas Goolsby, 25, were detained following scrutiny over their activity on social media. As detailed in a criminal complaint accessed by Tampa’s Fox station WVTV, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office received a tip regarding a possible mass shooting threat from the FBI. This alert was initiated by the girlfriend of one of the men, who reportedly found her boyfriend’s Instagram posts suspicious, according to the police.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
The affidavit states that federal authorities confirmed that the accounts belonged to Oglesby and Goolsby before reaching out to Pinellas County officials to continue the probe. A search warrant was issued by the sheriff’s office for access to the men’s social media profiles, where they reportedly uncovered several unsettling comments suggesting plans for a mass shooting.
According to a report by WTVT, the concerning conversations allegedly began with Oglesby asking Goolsby, “Wanna plan an attack?” He supposedly continued, “I’m radicalizing my son to never trust the government.” Oglesby is also alleged to have messaged Goolsby, “It better be a bloodbath of every corrupt politician on Capitol Hill,” and questioned, “So, when are we going to bomb the White House?”
In response, Goolsby appeared to be on board with the alleged plot, writing to Oglesby, “Totally, dude, skibidi massacre.” According to the affidavit, he also wrote, “I really hate people, I wish I could end everyone and blow the world up.”
Both men allegedly expressed antisemitic sentiments and discriminatory feelings towards other religions. Goolsby allegedly stated that he wanted to “blow up” a mosque. The two also allegedly shared videos of active shooters.
According to court records, the alleged threats were made last July.
Goolsby and Oglesby were both arrested in Pinellas County on Monday and charged with threatening communications or threatening to carry out a mass shooting. Oglesby remains in custody on $150,000 bond; Goolsby is being held on $200,000 bond. Their next court dates were not made available.
