The suspect reportedly claimed he would shoot the U.S. vice president during a visit to Ohio
The Department of Justice announced on Friday that an Ohio man has been charged with threatening to kill U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
The DOJ stated that the suspect, identified as Shannon Mathre of Toledo, was apprehended by U.S. Secret Service agents on February 6 for “issuing a threat to take the life of, and to cause bodily harm to, a successor to the presidency,” the DOJ said.
Mathre made these threats prior to a scheduled visit by the vice president to his home state of Ohio. As per the indictment, he stated he would monitor Vance’s whereabouts and use an M14 rifle to kill him.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that the arrest also uncovered that Mathre had child sexual abuse material in his possession.
If found guilty, Mathre could face up to five years in prison for the threat charge. The charge related to child sexual abuse material carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years.
“Our attorneys are aggressively pursuing prosecution of this abhorrent threat against Vice President Vance,” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated.
In recent years, the U.S. has experienced a rise in political violence and hostile rhetoric, with Republicans and Democrats accusing each other of fueling the tensions.
Last month, William DeFoor was charged with vandalizing Vance’s Cincinnati residence. The vice president mentioned that a “crazy person” tried to break in, “hammering the windows.”
Other recent incidents include the murder of conservative organizer Charlie Kirk in September, the fatal shooting of Democratic Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband in June, and two attempts on President Donald Trump’s life during the 2024 election campaign.