A Missouri woman allegedly planned to kill President Donald Trump using a gun she stole from her own father. Johnetta Parsons is accused of stealing a firearm from her father’s home in early December, then instructing him to report it stolen so she could keep it, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office in Gainesville.
According to Newsweek, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office received a report about a stolen SCCY CPX-2, 9mm pistol. Parsons’ father was the one who reported it stolen, and he suspected his daughter had taken the gun. A few days later, Deputy Matthew Rhoades received information about the firearm while on patrol.
The Columbia Police Department later found the stolen gun after two people arrived at a station in a vehicle containing “numerous personal items,” including the firearm. The pair said they had driven Parsons to drop her off in St. Louis.
The alleged plot was revealed through text messages sent to family members
Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Rhoades detailed in a probable cause statement that Parsons’ granddaughter reported receiving text messages from Parsons. In these messages, Parsons allegedly stated her intention to use the stolen pistol to kill President Trump after getting bus transportation from a Greyhound station.
Parsons reportedly texted multiple times that she had the firearm, though she later claimed a friend was holding it, while continuing to repeat her plan to harm the president. It was after she was dropped off in St. Louis that the granddaughter reported the alarming messages to authorities. Trump has also been at the center of major national security decisions involving Iran, adding to the security concerns surrounding his presidency.
In messages exchanged between Parsons and her father, she admitted to taking the firearm, explicitly told him to report it stolen, and expressed her intention to kill the president. Rhoades contacted the U.S. Secret Service about the threat, and the agency confirmed the information would be passed on.
As of publication, there are no known federal charges against Parsons. However, Missouri court records show she has been charged with one count of stealing a firearm, and she made her initial court appearance on Wednesday. President Trump has faced other assassination attempts in recent years. On July 13, 2024, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire.
Crooks was shot and killed by law enforcement, though one member of the crowd also died and two others were injured. President Trump was hit in his right ear during the shooting. Meanwhile, in Congress, Republican lawmakers debating Trump’s war powers have shown how divided the party can be on matters of presidential authority.
A second attempt occurred on September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Routh was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison in February 2026, after being stopped before he could take aim at the president.
Published: Mar 12, 2026 11:15 am