AUSTIN — A Lockhart man who is accused of confronting Sutherland Springs church shooting victims with claims that the shooting was a hoax has been arrested on a federal charge, according to the Department of Justice.
Robert Mikell Ussery, 54, has been arrested for allegedly being in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon on March 5. According to the DOJ, Ussery was convicted in 1984 of burglarizing a vehicle in Brazoria County and served four years in prison.
On March 5, "Ussery (aka “Side Thorn”), accompanied by his girlfriend (aka “Conspiracy Granny”), entered the property of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX, and verbally harassed church members," according to the DOJ. The federal complaint alleges that Ussery was knowingly in possession of a pistol that day.
Twenty-six people were killed at that church on Nov. 5, 2017.
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Ussery and his girlfriend "claimed the incident was all a hoax, that no one died as a result of the shooting incident, and that 'the people' will hang a member of the church for perpetrating the hoax," the DOJ said.
The incident, which was captured on Ussery's and his girlfriend's recording devices, were seized by authorities.
If Ussery is convicted of this crime, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
In 2017, Ussery was charged with assault in Austin after an African American History Memorial Monument was unveiled at the Texas State Capitol.
