ST. CHARLES — A St. Charles man is in jail after police say he threatened to orchestrate a mass shooting at a local church that wouldn’t let him perform his music.
Josh Carrier, 42, was charged Friday with making a second-degree terrorist threat, a felony.
Investigators say Carrier wanted to play the drums at an unidentified St. Charles church as part of the church’s music ministry, but the church decided not to allow him to play during the worship service.
Church members recounted a bizarre series of threats Carrier allegedly made on July 14.
Carrier told one member of the church that he was “so angry that he could kill five people in this church right now.” He also claimed to have a co-worker who would do the shooting on his behalf, the witness told police.
There were an estimated 50 to 60 people inside the church when the alleged threats were made, according to court documents.
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Church members told police that they had believed Carrier was mentally unstable for several months, and they considered his threats credible. They said Carrier is known to carry a gun with him during church services.
Carrier was in the St. Charles County Jail on Friday on a $20,000 cash-only bond. He does not have an attorney listed.
Police said the church does not have security staff present on Sunday mornings.
The church canceled its Bible Study scheduled for July 17, because members were scared for their safety. One member of the church told investigators that she “was in such fear for her life that she refused to leave her residence.”
Police recovered several firearms from Carrier’s home on Providence Drive in unincorporated St. Charles County, near the city of St. Peters.