Horizon City man pleads guilty to gun crimes, admits making Walmart threats

HORIZON CITY, Texas — A 30-year-old Horizon City man who was arrested last year for making online threats - that included a photo of a weapon and a reference to Walmart - has pleaded guilty to federal gun crimes.

Alex Barron, appearing Tuesday afternoon before a federal magistrate judge, admitted to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. He faces up to ten years in prison; a sentencing date has not yet been set.

The FBI arrested Barron in May of last year after he made a social media posting with a picture of an AR-15 style rifle and text reading ”#watchoutwalmartimcoming #droplikeflys.”

The online threat touched a nerve in the community in the wake of the Aug. 3, 2019 El Paso Cielo Vista Walmart shooting in which 23 people were killed in an attack targeting Latinos. The suspect in that shooting is still awaiting trial.

In court on Tuesday, Barron told the judge his post in which he threatened violence at Walmart was a ploy to attract attention on social media and said he didn't actually intend to carry it out.  

Prosecutors said a search of Barron's home when the FBI took him into custody uncovered an assortment of ammunition and multiple firearms, including one fully-automatic firearm equipped with a suppressor.

Barron was barred from legally possessing weapons following a 2012 felony conviction for a drug-related offense in El Paso County.

At the time of Barron's arrest, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Luis Quesada vowed that “anyone who makes a social media post threatening be a potential active shooter should expect to be identified and prosecuted."

Barron will remain held until sentencing under federal custody at the El Paso County jail, where he has been since his arrest on May 8, 2020.