Florida men accused of plotting mass shooting in social media messages

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - "If you see something, say something" paid off as investigators say a woman who saw messages on her boyfriend’s Instagram feed threatening a mass shooting reached out to the FBI.

Federal investigators took action to verify the accounts and communicated the information with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to execute a search warrant and make two arrests. 

The backstory:

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on the social media accounts of Isaiah Oglesby and James Goolsby after being contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

The FBI alerted the sheriff’s office to possible active shooter threats and plans to attempt a mass shooting.

Mugshots of Isaiah Oglesby and James Goolsby. Courtesy: Pinellas County Jail.

The sheriff's office discovered communications between the two men that included the query from Oglesby, "Wanna plan an attack?" and "It better be a bloodbath of every corrupt politician in Capital Hill."

Edited from Isaiah Oglesby affidavit.

The affidavit for Goolsby outlined his response: "Totally Dude, Skibidi Massacre," and "I want to eradicate them."

The posts included imagery of other mass shooting events and showed an affinity for other mass shooters.

Both men were arrested and charged with threatening communications and threats of mass shooting.

What's next:

Isaiah Oglesby appeared in Pinellas County Court on his charges and was given a $150,000 bond. If he bonds out, he must be outfitted with a GPS monitor. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office served him with a Risk Protection Order to ensure that he does not have access to weapons or any devices that could be used for a mass casualty event.

James Goolsby also appeared in Pinellas County Court on his charges and was given a $200,000 bond. Like Oglesby, if he posts bond, he must be outfitted with a GPS monitor.