Folks, I think America might have a white supremacist problem.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the arrest of a white man from Newport who had threatened to “shoot up” Black children at a preschool. (Yes, you read that right. These rabid, Klan-adjacent monsters are that sick and depraved.)
The attorney’s office’s press release states that federal agents arrested 25-year-old Zachary Charles Newell, who allegedly declared in social media posts that he would “shoot up a black pre school,” among other threats. Court documents reportedly show that, on August 26 and 27 of this year, Newell posted his horrific threats under the YouTube account handle “CommentatorsHateMe,” which was flagged by Google, prompting it to notify the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center.
“I’m gonna shoot up a black pre school. 20 black babies will be shot,” Newell wrote, according to the affidavit, which also noted that he “directed additional racist threats promoting violence against Black individuals.”
According to Fox 4, those additional threats contained numerous racial slurs, which, of course, should surprise absolutely no one.
Newell allegedly admitted to making the comment about shooting Black preschoolers, and he was initially charged in state court with communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property after a search warrant was executed on his home. The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office told Fox Newell was given a $30,000 bond by a state magistrate and that he was able to post that bond. The sheriff’s office said it began working with the FBI that evening to take Newell into federal custody and bring additional federal charges, which are expected to be filed soon.
“The defendant’s alleged threats deeply disturb us as federal law enforcement agents and have no place in our society, certainly not in Eastern North Carolina. We will meet this evil with the full force of the federal law enforcement apparatus.” U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said in a statement. “We will not tolerate using the internet to spread fear or target communities, especially innocent children, with heinous threats of violence.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina, shared similar sentiments, according to the attorney’s office’s press release.
“Every child in North Carolina deserves go to school without fear. Your FBI will work with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate threats directed at schools,” Barnacle said. “This federal charge should be a warning to anyone who believes they can sit behind a keyboard and make violent threats, anonymously. FBI Charlotte commends the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office for taking immediate action to make an arrest. And we are grateful to our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of North Carolina to levy federal charges as well.”
Imagine being so consumed with white supremacist hate that you can gleefully muse about looking Black children as young as two and in the eyes and firing a gun at them.
By the way, it’s worth noting that, according to CNN, the U.S. has seen 47 school shootings this year, 23 of which took place at K-12 schools. 19 people are dead and at least 77 others were injured as a result of these events.
As for Newell, based on what he has been charged with thus far, he faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.
Keep these racist monsters off of our streets!
