A federal grand jury in Colorado has indicted 40-year-old Kevin Lee Tompkins of Thornton on four counts of making interstate threats to kill federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. The indictment also accuses Tompkins of illegally possessing ammunition despite a prior felony conviction that legally bars him from owning firearms or ammunition.
According to FBI Denver
, which announced the indictment, Tompkins posted the threats on a major video-sharing platform between June and July 2026. Court filings made public Monday, cited by the
Department of Justice
, say the posts targeted police officers, FBI employees, Muslim Americans, judges, and prosecutors.
Officials who uncovered evidence at Tompkins's home found boxes of ammunition along with an instructional book on manufacturing explosives, according to the same Justice Department announcement. That evidence forms the basis of the additional felon-in-possession charge included in the indictment.
Digital Trail Showed Pattern of Firearm Searches
Investigators also examined Tompkins's phone and found web search history showing he routinely visited private firearm transaction websites, the Justice Department's release states. The search history is described without a stated connection to an intent to procure firearms.
The case was investigated by the FBI Denver Field Office, per the department's announcement.
What Tompkins Faces If Convicted
Section 875(c) makes it a federal crime to transmit an interstate threat to injure or kill another person and carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison, according to Federal Lawyers.
The United States Sentencing Commission's data shows federal courts recorded 7,245 convictions under § 922(g) in fiscal year 2025, with 89 percent of defendants disqualified because of prior felony records — underscoring how common this type of charge is in federal courts nationwide.
Case Echoes Earlier Colorado Threat Prosecutions
Federal prosecutions over threats against law enforcement personnel are not new to Colorado. In August 2020, Colorado Springs resident Timothy Hummel pleaded guilty in federal court to threatening to murder federal law enforcement officers after leaving death threats for personnel at the ICE Denver Field Office, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Thornton itself has dealt with its own recent security scares. In July 2026, local police evacuated two municipal facilities and arrested a 28-year-old suspect following a series of phoned-in bomb threats, according to the Thornton Police Department.
The indictment against Tompkins remains a set of formal allegations at this stage, and prosecutors will need to prove each count beyond a reasonable doubt in court. His current custody status, defense representation, and whether additional charges could stem from the explosive manufacturing literature found at his home have not been detailed in the case materials released so far.
