A New York woman has been indicted for making threats against Denver-area LGBTQ businesses in the days after five people were killed at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs last year.
Sharon Robinson, who appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, is accused of calling at least four businesses on Dec. 8 and making threats including, “You’re gonna be shot up like Club Q,” and, “I’m going to go over there and shoot you all,” according to her May 17 indictment.
Robinson, 40, who prosecutors say lives in Brooklyn, is accused of making anti-gay slurs during the calls and the grand jury found that she targeted the businesses because of their actual and perceived sexual orientation, the indictment said. That finding could lead to a longer sentence if Robinson is convicted, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado said in a press release Wednesday announcing Robinson’s indictment and arrest.
The federal public defender who represented Robinson during her court appearance in New York, Amanda David, declined to comment on the allegations.
Robinson was released on $50,000 bond and will be prosecuted in Colorado federal court. The conditions of her release bar her from traveling outside New York City or Long Island except to travel to Colorado to appear in court.
The Club Q shooter is being prosecuted in state court on murder, hate crimes and other charges in the Nov. 19 attack. The venue has been a longtime sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs. Seventeen people were also wounded in the shooting.
