NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 19-year-old Middle Tennessee man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for threatening to shoot up a Nashville mosque in late 2024.
U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. handed down the 24-month sentence earlier this month against Gunner Joseph Fisher of Stewart County, who was also ordered to undergo three months of supervised release following completion of his prison time. Fisher pleaded guilty last August to two counts of making threats in interstate commerce.
What remains unclear, however, is the seriousness of the alleged plot.
In court filings prior to sentencing, prosecutors portrayed Fisher as a person whose "conduct evidenced an intent to carry out the threat," while Fisher’s public defender argued that the "troubled young man" with an undiagnosed mental illness was essentially cosplaying for the Internet platforms where he found community.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Kathryn Harcombe told the court that Fisher "adamantly maintains that he never intended to carry out the threats."
"Mr. Fisher lived in rural Tennessee, with no car, no driver's license, and no access to public transportation,” Harcombe argued. “Although the tone and content of Mr. Fischer's communications were vile and frightening, he did not engage in any 'overt acts' evidencing intent to carry out his threats."
According to court filings, the FBI began investigating after receiving a tip in December 2024 from the social media giant Meta that Fisher had made threats in private conversations to commit an act of mass violence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Zachary T. Hinkle wrote that Fisher "posted pictures of firearms, a machete, and a tactical vest," claiming to have other weapons. He also expressed admiration for mass murderer Brenton Tarrant, who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.
Nashville Crime Stoppers also received a separate tip from a person who said that "Fisher was planning a mass shooting, was targeting Black people, and would take out as many as he could before the police caught him."
When law enforcement showed up at Fisher's home northwest of Nashville, he claimed he was only attempting to "sound cool," AUSA Hinkle wrote.
"But he admitted to holding white supremacist views, considering himself to be a neo-Nazi, and being fascinated by mass shooters, particularly Tarrant," the prosecutor continued.
When authorities searched Fisher's phone, they discovered that he had communicated his threats to two separate underage individuals. They also found a manifesto in which he discussed his plan to commit “[a]nother Christchurch” once “school starts again."
Fisher's attorney, on the other hand, argued that her client suffered from what was then an undiagnosed and untreated bipolar disorder.
Mary Kathryn Harcombe wrote, “The tactical gear that Mr. Fisher obtained was a vest, paints, and helmet ordered from Amazon that he essentially used as dress-up clothing."
"Writing a 'manifesto' was part of the same performative racism that Mr. Fisher engaged in through the True Crimes Community," she added. “Mr. Fisher now disavows the noxious beliefs and sentiments he displayed, and he has taken steps to undo the radicalization that occurred online."
Judge Campbell recommended that the Bureau of Prisons place Fisher in a facility where he can receive mental health treatment, as well as vocational training and GED classes.
Fisher was given until July 10 to report to his assigned prison.
––––––––––––––––––––––
Do you have information that would help me with my investigation? Send me your tips: phil.williams@newschannel5.com
RELATED STORIES:
June 24, 2024: Data compiled by watchdog groups suggests that neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups have targeted the Volunteer State with racist flyers at an alarming rate in the past year, signaling a more brazen and calculated focus on the state. The statistics are alarming.
July 19, 2024: Standing on what is now the Diane Nash Plaza — named after the civil rights legend who came here to confront a Nashville mayor and a community's racism — I decided to confront the hate that has once again reared its ugly head. Click here to watch my exchange.
August 20, 2024: He warned me there would be consequences if I failed to comply with his demands to air a white-supremacist video. Then, nothing happened. And now that man faces his own consequences. Read more about Kai Liam Nix.
September 16, 2024: Millersville, Tennessee, is gaining national attention for an approach to governing that democracy advocates fear. Here, conspiracy theorists carry guns and badges, using their police powers to explore notions that are sometimes completely divorced from reality. You can find a series of stories here.
November 18, 2024: An exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation has discovered that those Christian nationalists have set their sights on a remote Middle Tennessee county, hoping to attract hundreds, even thousands, of like-minded people from across the country as part of efforts, in the words of one activist, to “radicalize Main Street.” Find the full story here.
November 25, 2024: As word spread across Jackson County, a gathering of friends quickly grew into an impromptu town hall. Some just came with questions — others, with deep concerns. Watch the full story.
December 2, 2024: The American Renaissance Conference — which calls Montgomery Bell State Park its "home away from home" — provides yet another example of the rise of hate and extremism in Tennessee. Watch what happened when Phil Williams went to this influential hate conference.
December 9, 2024: Podcaster C.Jay Engel thinks I’m part of a grand conspiracy, twisting his words and the views of his Christian nationalist partner Andrew Isker, apparently taking orders from what he calls "the American Regime." Here are the facts.
December 26, 2024: "Rarely in my nearly 40-year career as a journalist have I felt the target on my back as continuously and intensely as I have in the last 15 months." Read this personal reflection by Phil Williams.
January 17, 2025: It's an image that again shows hate rearing its ugly head in Middle Tennessee: a neo-Nazi standing in the lobby of Nashville’s Jewish Community Center while wearing a costume that mocks an Orthodox rabbi. See the neo-Nazis' videos and chats.
January 23, 2025: A manifesto left behind by the Antioch High School shooter reveals a 17-year-old young man who was sucked into the world of hate and never found his way out, says a veteran researcher who specializes in hate and political extremism.
January 27, 2025: For as long as he can remember, Gunner Joseph Fisher, 18, has thought about mass murder. Driven by a hatred of Jews, African Americans and Muslims, Fisher believed he was “bound to murder.”
March 3, 2025: From their participation in a conference in Middle Tennessee, to the compound being built in East Tennessee, Patriot Front has become a growing presence in Tennessee. Who are they? Phil Williams investigates.
March 6, 2025: Dramatic video obtained by NewsChannel 5 shows why a Canadian neo-Nazi now faces new charges for an assault back in July on the streets of Nashville. That video was captured by a group of neo-Nazis themselves.
April 14, 2025: A recent guest hosted by the Christian nationalist podcasters in Jackson County, Tennessee, highlights their willingness to flirt with ideas that critics call antisemitic and with characters who engage in Holocaust denial. Andrew Isker himself believes Jews should be treated as second-class citizens because, as he puts it, “this country belongs to Jesus.”
June 16, 2025: An armed man arrested during Nashville’s “No Kings” protest has a long history of fascination with Nazis and mass murderers, and he was already on the FBI's radar, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has learned.
July 21, 2025: He’s a Hitler-loving podcaster on a mission to convince young Christian men to hate – all in the name of God. He wants a right-wing Christian government that will deport Jews, immigrants and people of color. He does not rule out the possible need for genocide. Meet the Tennessee man.
July 28, 2025: For the politically connected investors behind the Christian nationalist project in Jackson County, Tennessee, our NewsChannel 5 investigation has now discovered, it’s about business, power and modeling what they describe as an alternative view of America.
Sept. 29, 2025: In a world where hate has become a powerful force in American society, one group of Middle Tennesseans may know as much as anyone about dealing with that hate. Phil Williams sits down to listen to members of Nashville's Jewish community.
Oct. 3, 2025: It was an unlikely encounter between a neo-Nazi and a woman who represented everything he thought he hated. What the woman, who was Jewish, chose to do with that moment may offer a lesson for us all.
Oct. 27, 2025: He thinks Adolf Hitler may have been right. He talks about preparing for civil war. And, now, he hopes to establish a whites-only community in Tennessee.
Nov. 17, 2025: NewsChannel 5 Investigates reviewed hours of online videos that reveal how, when Jon Minadeo encounters children of color, he tries to persuade them to hate themselves, often brandishing an assault weapon and warning them to expect to be treated violently.
Nov. 18, 2025: A notorious neo-Nazi is celebrating his possible role in influencing a deadly school shooting. Jon Minadeo appeared ecstatic during a podcast after a NewsChannel 5 investigation revealed how he goes into video chat apps popular with children and tries to recruit them into his world of hate. Check out the story here.
Nov. 19, 2025: Two notorious neo-Nazi websites have been taken offline following an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation that revealed how they have been used to target children.
Nov. 24, 2025: Frequent users of OmeTV video chat app describe adults attempting to groom children and other abuses: "People do this s--t on OmeTV because they know there's no consequences."
Dec. 8, 2025: NewsChannel 5 Investigates set up surveillance at the security checkpoint for the American Renaissance Conference, discovering that the attendees include characters who have celebrated heinous acts of violence by neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists.
Related videos, stories: