Man defends his threats to kill immigrants on TikTok as free speech, Indiana cops say
In anticipation of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, an Indiana man took to comment sections on TikTok to lob death threats at immigrants, prosecutors said.
The app, which was briefly shut down to U.S. users between Jan. 18 to 19, reported the series of comments made Jan. 12 and Jan. 14 to the FBI, according to the Marion County prosecutors and WRTV Preston Pickett was then arrested Jan. 16.
“I will have my kills on first day trump takes office,” one comment read, officials told WIBC.
The man was charged with intimidation as a threat to commit terrorism, according to court records. Pickett, of Southport, is held in jail on a $100,000 bail, according to court documents. His attorney information was not listed.
“I say you all are illegal and I am shooting on sight,” the man said in one comment, prosecutors told WIBC. “I will be famous for killing the most illegals in one day.”
Comments made on live stream videos said he would torture and kill immigrants lacking permanent legal status by “exercising his Second Amendment rights,” officials told WISH.
Prosecutors said Pickett’s comments indicated he would target immigrants beginning Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, WRTV reported.
Pickett was also connected to two threatening phone calls made in March and November 2023, prosecutors said, according to WISH. He made an anonymous phone call to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office threatening to use an AR-15 rifle to shoot employees and threatened to shoot up a car wash in Florida, officials told WRTV.
When police went to arrest Pickett on Jan. 16, they said he “came out of the home and began screaming that police were complicit with the illegals in this country and continued to incoherently rant,” according to WISH. Prosecutors also said he referred to his activity on TikTok as free speech, WISH reported.
Pickett is scheduled to appear in court on March 12.
Southport is an 11-mile drive south from downtown Indianapolis.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Man defends his threats to kill immigrants on TikTok as free speech, Indiana cops say."
