A 74-year-old Pennsylvania resident was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill former President Donald Trump a day before his Penn State rally, declaring: “I’d like to shoot that guy.”
Paul J. Gavenonis — who uses she/her pronouns, according to the Centre County Public Defender’s Office — was nabbed after he was overheard making the alleged threats while trying to buy a parking pass at the university’s transportation office last Friday, the Lexington Herald Leader reported.
“I hate Donald Trump. I’d like to shoot that guy,” Gavenonis allegedly said after making a gun-racking motion with her hand.
He also allegedly described climbing to the top of a building, saying “you can’t take a gun in or the students will see it,” according to an arrest affidavit.
An alarmed staffer alerted cops amid fears that the parking pass could potentially get Gavenonis closer to Trump’s rally at the university. The former president held the rally on Saturday, October 26, 2024, just 10 days before the election.
When Penn State police and the Secret Service later questioned the suspect, Gavenonis allegedly laughed when asked if he believed she could kill the Republican presidential candidate.
“Probably. Yeah,” Gavenonis is alleged to have said.
“Frankly, I hope somebody would get him,” he added, according to the affidavit.
Gavenonis allegedly also told agents he had a rifle at her home.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the alleged perp was trying to purchase the parking pass to gain access to the rally, or if he had plans to attend.
The Kansas City Star reported the suspect is a registered Democrat.
Gavenonis was charged with making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.
He is being held without bail in Centre County Prison.
