FBI arrests Horizon City man for alleged active shooter threats against El Paso Walmart stores
El Paso TX May 12 2020 A 29-year-old Horizon City man was arrested Friday night for alleged threats made toward El Paso Walmart stores, according to the local FBI office.
At about 8 p.m. Thursday, agents with the FBI’s El Paso Field Office received a tip that a social media post contained a photograph of a weapon and text reading #watchoutwalmartimcoming #droplikeflys….”
The threats came from Horizon City and Chaparral, New Mexico. The FBI, with El Paso Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed federal search warrants and arrested the alleged owner of the social media account, Alex R. Barron, at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
“This incident should serve as a reminder that the El Paso FBI has zero tolerance for anyone who threatens to do harm to others, especially after August 2019,” special agent in charge Luis Quesada said on Twitter. ‘Anyone who makes a social media post threatening to be a potential active shooter should expect to be identified and prosecuted.”
Barron is expected to have his initial appearance in El Paso before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Monday, May 11th.
The Albuquerque FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas also worked with the El Paso office to investigate the threats.
The FBI thanked the citizens of El Paso for reporting the social media posts and said if anyone sees additional risks, to contact El Paso Police, call 911 or call the FBI at 915-832-5000. But do not submit tips to the FBI’s Twitter account and do not share or forward the social media post, as it could create panic.
Tips may also be submitted to tips.fbi.gov.
A shooter killed 22 people and dozens more at a Cielo Vista Walmart Aug. 3 in El Paso. A 23rd person died in April.
The suspect who admitted to targeting Mexicans in the Aug. 3 attack was arrested that same day and has been charged with capital murder charges and federal hate crime charges.
