MOBILE, Ala. — A 33-year-old man who allegedly branded himself the “Mobile, Alabama cop killer” in social media videos is now facing federal charges, including illegal possession of a machine gun and transmitting an interstate threat, according to federal court documents.
A federal criminal complaint accuses Joshua Peters of posting several threats to kill Mobile Police Department officers online and of selling machine gun conversion devices, commonly called Glock switches, that were disguised as keychains. Jail records show Peters faces five federal charges. He is being held in the Escambia County, Alabama, jail.
The charges are accusations. Peters is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. It was not clear this week what his bond was set at, when he will next appear in court or whether he has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
What the complaint alleges
According to the complaint, investigators documented a series of videos Peters posted online, in which he referred to himself as “Raven” and “Josh.”
Screenshots included in the court filing come from a video posted on Dec. 31. In it, Peters is shown wearing a sweatshirt reading “Mobile, AL cop killer” while holding a gun, the complaint states. The document says Peters fired the weapon during the video.
A more recent video, which the complaint says was posted about four weeks ago, drew particular attention from investigators. Federal records include screenshots that, according to the complaint, show Peters pointing a gun at a statue beside a memorial honoring Mobile County law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The complaint says Peters put his jacket on the statue and said, “We kill police officers, man … I’ll kill a police officer.”
The complaint also quotes Peters as having said at one point that he “can’t do jail.” Jail records show he is now in custody.
‘Switch keychains’
Beyond the threats, investigators say Peters sold Glock switches, small devices that convert a semi-automatic pistol into a weapon capable of fully automatic fire, and disguised them as keychains.
The complaint quotes an online post it attributes to Peters: “Don’t call em switches, call em switch keychains. Throw the feds off.”
According to the court documents, two confidential informants bought the devices directly from Peters in February and April. The purchases took place at a Walmart and at Topgolf in Mobile, the complaint says.
The charges
Jail records list five federal charges against Peters, including illegal possession of a machine gun and transmission of an interstate threat. The full list of counts was not detailed in the records available this week.
Under federal law, it is generally illegal for a private citizen to possess a machine gun that was not lawfully registered before May 1986, and a conversion device designed to make a firearm fire automatically is itself classified as a machine gun. That offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Transmitting a threat to injure another person in interstate communications, which can include posts and videos on social media platforms, carries a maximum of five years per count. Any sentence in a federal case is decided by a judge after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other factors, and is often below the statutory maximum.
A federal criminal complaint is typically the first step in a federal prosecution. It is supported by a sworn affidavit from an investigating agent and allows authorities to make an arrest. Prosecutors generally must then obtain an indictment from a federal grand jury for the case to proceed to trial. Federal cases arising in Mobile are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, and federal detainees from the area are often held in county jails in the region under agreements with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Why Glock switches are a priority for police
Glock switches, sometimes called auto sears or conversion devices, attach to the rear of a semi-automatic handgun and alter its firing mechanism so that it continues to fire as long as the trigger is held. Law enforcement agencies across the country have reported a sharp increase in the devices in recent years, and investigators say they are frequently small, inexpensive and easy to conceal, which is part of what makes disguising them as keychains notable.
The devices have been regulated as machine guns under federal law for decades, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enforces those restrictions. Alabama added its own ban in 2025, when Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation making possession of a conversion device a Class C felony under state law, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Local police have also brought charges under the state ban. Earlier this month, a 22-year-old Mobile man was charged under the state ban after officers said they found a handgun fitted with a switch during a traffic stop.
A sensitive threat for Mobile officers
Threats against police are taken especially seriously in Mobile, where the department has lost officers in the line of duty. Among them was Officer Sean Tuder, who was shot and killed in January 2019 while trying to arrest a wanted man at a west Mobile apartment complex. The man convicted in his death, Marco Perez, was sentenced to death.
According to the complaint, it was beside a memorial to those fallen officers that Peters recorded the video in which he allegedly said he would kill a police officer.
What happens next
- Custody: Peters remains in the Escambia County, Alabama, jail, according to jail records.
- Charges: Five federal counts, including illegal possession of a machine gun and transmission of an interstate threat.
- Court: His bond status and next court date were not immediately available.
- Next steps: In federal cases that begin with a complaint, a detention hearing, a preliminary hearing or a grand jury indictment typically follows.
Anyone with information about illegal firearms or threats against law enforcement can contact the Mobile Police Department or the ATF, which accepts tips at 1-888-ATF-TIPS.