A Horizon City man was allegedly found with multiple firearms inside his truck loaded with ammunition when he was arrested after allegedly making active shooterthreats against El Paso-area Walmarts on social media.
Alex R. Barron, 29, is facing one count each of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and possession of a machine gun by a felon, according to charges read out by a federal judge during his initial hearing Monday.
According to a criminal complaint, the firearm and ammunition are one count.Barron faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each charge.
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Barron did not appear in court for his initial hearing, but the hearing was held by telephone conference call. Defendants are not appearing in court for initial appearance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He only replied yes to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Leon Schydlower including whether he understood his constitutional rights and to acknowledge the setting of his next court date.
A bond hearing was set by Judge Schydlower for 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Barron is currently being held without bond at the El Paso County Downtown Jail.
FBI El Paso Division agents, along with other law enforcement officers, found more guns at his home in Horizon City.
One of the weapons was a rifle that hada "homemade suppressor and was fully automatic capable. Being fully automatic capable means that this rifle is a machine gun that can shoot, is designed to shoot, and can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger," the complaint reads.
According to a criminal complaint, Barron had previouslybeen convicted of drug-related charges in Texas state court in 2011. He pleaded guilty to that charge and was sentenced to six months in prison.
Since Barron pleaded guilty to a felony he can not legally have possession of any firearms, the complaint states.
An investigation was launched after FBI El Paso agents received a tip from a concerned citizen about 8 p.m. Thursday over a series of social media post on Instagram which included a photograph of a weapon, according to FBI officials and the complaint.
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The post was a photograph of a AR-15 style rifle and included text stating “#watchoutwalmartimcoming #droplikeflys....,” officials said. The caption of the photo also included "elpasostrong," the complaint states.
Agents also found a second post on Instagram allegedly posted by Barron on May 4. The post included a firearm with the text "#watchoutwalmartsimcominginstrong" and "#bullywithafully," the complaint states.
FBI agents determined in their investigation that the social media account was allegedly owned by Barron through the email address he used to setup the Instagram account and were able to find that Barron had lived in Chaparral, New Mexico, the complaint states. Other data collected showed that Barron also lived in Horizon City.
The investigation allegedly revealed that Barron had received firearm components and regular mail at a home in Chaparral, officials said. A search warrant was issued at the Chaparral home where an unnamed witness told agents that Barron had given them two firearms including one from about two or three years ago.
Another search warrant was then issued for Barron's home in Horizon City.
FBI El Paso Division agents, who had earlier conduct surveillance on the home, then executed the warrants about 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Horizon City home along with the El Paso Police Department and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The agents allegedly found two firearms in plain view inside of the cab of a Chevrolet Colorado that the agents saw Barron driving earlier that day, the complaint states.
Barron then gave consent for the agents to look inside the vehicle where agents allegedly found a total of three firearms, the complaint states.
All three guns had chambered ammunition, according to the complaint.
Agents then allegedly found four more guns inside the Horizon City home.
FBI officials are urging community members to report any suspicious or dangerous social media posts to law enforcement immediately by contacting the El Paso Police Department, calling 911 or calling the FBI at 915-832-5000.
Tips may also be submitted totips.fbi.gov.
The alleged threats come less than a year after a shooter walked into an El Paso Walmart on Aug. 3 and killed 23 people and injured dozens more in what is believed to a racially-motivated mass shooting.
The shooter is facing capital murder of multiple persons in Texas state courts and is charged with 90 federal counts, including hate crime, murder and firearms charges in connection with the mass shooting.
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Aaron Martinez may be reached at 915-546-6249; aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; @AMartinezEPTon Twitter.
