On Saturday, anti-gun rights activist and Johns Hopkins Hospital surgeon Joseph Sakran posted two photos of an alleged “death threat” he said he found tucked under one of his windshield wipers.
The alleged threat is a color-printed image of a hand holding a gun, with text at the bottom: “The End is Near …………”
Sakran, who was shot as a teen, posted two photos; one with the paper tucked under his wiper blade, and another photo seemingly of his hand holding the alleged threat inside his home.
“Debated whether to share this, & after a lot of thought here it is,” Sakran captioned the photos. “Last week I’m leaving my home from work and I find this paper under my windshield.”
“One does not have to see the rest of the sentence that was covered to understand the intent of this message, a Death Threat,” he added.
Mr. Sakran has since deleted the post, but a screenshot of the tweet can be viewed below:
Why was this post deleted, @JosephSakran? pic.twitter.com/dJggHK7Pkg
— Amanda (@AmandaPresto) January 27, 2020
On Monday, after receiving messages of support and sympathy over the post, most of which were retweeted by the surgeon, Sakran deleted the post.
The anti-gun rights activist told The Baltimore Sun that he was advised by authorities to delete the post and to cease publicly talking about the alleged threat. The Baltimore Sun reported:
Sakran however deleted his thread of tweets about the alleged incident on Monday morning. He said he did so at the advice of law enforcement, who also advised him to stop discussing the matter publicly. He declined to comment further.
According to The Post Millennial, Fairfax County Police claims they never offered Mr. Sakran such advice, nor has the surgeon filed a police report over the alleged threat.
“The Post Millennial reached out to Fairfax County Police, the local law enforcement jurisdiction surrounding Fairfax Station—where Sakran’s home is located—and media relations officer Lieutenant Webb was able to confirm that Sakran did not file a police report, nor did the Fairfax Police advise him to delete the viral tweet,” the outlet reported Monday.
“That’s just not something we do,” Mr. Webb told The Post Millennial.
The Baltimore Sun similarly reported, “Virginia Capitol Police tasked with staffing officers for the rally said they were not aware of any threats against gun control activists. Sakran declined to say what agency — if any — is investigating the incident.”
Before Sakran deleted the post, fellow anti-gun rights activist David Hogg posted messages of support.
“[Joseph Sakran] has fought for Peace since he was shot in the throat and nearly died when he was 17,” he wrote. We are fighting for an America where people can advocate for peace without violent intimidation. I don’t care if you agree with me or not, threatening to kill people is not ok.”
Sakran retweeted the post.
.@JosephSakran has fought for Peace since he was shot in the throat and nearly died when he was 17.
We are fighting for an America where people can advocate for peace without violent intimidation.
I don’t care if you agree with me or not, threatening to kill people is not ok. https://t.co/YaOWfFT5qd
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) January 26, 2020
In a follow-up tweet, Hogg posted: “Thank you [Joseph Sakran] for your courage to fight for peace.”
Thank you @JosephSakran for your courage to fight for peace.
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) January 26, 2020
Liberal activist Peter Daou’s words of support were also retweeted by Sakran.
“So sorry you’re dealing with this, my friend,” said Daou. “Strength to you and the family. You and I have seen violence up close and personal and I respect you so much for your dedication to reducing it.”
So sorry you're dealing with this, my friend.
Strength to you and the family.
You and I have seen violence up close and personal and I respect you so much for your dedication to reducing it. https://t.co/UCaXSLrpcg
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) January 26, 2020