While Tanner Usrey works to leave his mark in country music with songs like “Do It To Myself” and “4th of July”, he quickly learned the dark side of fame. From the outside, country singers have the perfect life. Traveling the world, performing on some of the biggest stages – it all seemed like a dream. But for Usrey, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare after one fan decided to make threats on his life.
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Although grateful for the fans who continue to support his dream and passion, Usrey discovered a few critics along the way – like Baptiste Brafford. According to the Sheridan Press, the Wyoming man sent threatening messages to the country singer ahead of his concert on February 6 in Rapid City, S.D.
Not liking the idea of Usrey performing in Rapid City, Brafford decided to take out his anger on social media. Writing to the singer, he warned, “Don’t come to Rapid City, you could end up ‘Charlie Kirk’ spreading that same hate. It be an arrow though.”
If that wasn’t enough to catch the attention of law enforcement, Brafford sent another message. “Hey a 30-06 (thirty-ought-six) would blow your head off. That’s what killed Charlie Queen yet didn’t blow his head off. You think it was an 06 (ought-six) but any good ole boy knows that was a .223 at best.”
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It didn’t take long before the messages were saved and sent to local law enforcement. Able to track Brafford to his residence, the individual claimed that he was drunk at the time he wrote the messages. But with Usrey unsure about the threats, police placed Brafford into custody.
With Brafford drunk when sending the message, he eventually sobered up and deleted the threats. But by that time, the police were already notified.
Stepping in front of a judge, Brafford was released from the Sheridan County Detention Center after posting a $5,000 cash-only bond. He is expected to be back in court on March 10.
As for Usrey, he didn’t let one unhinged message ruin the entire night. The singer pushed forward with the performance, producing not just a memorable show but also showing he had no plans to back down. If anything, the moment only highlighted Usrey’s determination to keep pushing forward in his country music journey.
(Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images)
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