In a later statement, Kilmnick said: “Senseless hate violence and the anti-LGBT rhetoric that is spreading, leads to these attacks and it must stop. We know hate leads to violence and we are not immune to this threat on Long Island and Queens.”
Kilmnick himself was the victim of years of threats from a Bayport man sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his actions.
Robert Fehring, 74, sent 60 menacing letters to Long Island LGBTQ leaders and allies between 2013 and 2021. Prosecutors said Fehring threatened in a June 2021 letter to use a high-powered rifle if Kilmnick showed up at the Long Island Pride Festival in Nassau County.