EL PASO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Texas, Western), published as received.

EL PASO – Alex Barron, a 30-year-old Horizon City resident, admitted in federal court today to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne T. Berton this afternoon, Barron pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearms and ammunition.  According to court documents,

federal authorities executed a series of search warrants on May 8, 2020, including a search warrant for the defendant’s residence, in connection with an investigation into the posting on a social media application the day before of a photograph of an AR-15 style rifle with a caption stating “…#watchoutwalmartimcoming #droplikeflys…”  Authorities arrested Barron after recovering an assortment of ammunition and multiple firearms, including one fully automatic firearm equipped with a suppressor.

In court today, the defendant stated his post in which he threatened violence at Walmart was a ploy to attract attention on social media and not to be actually carried out.   Barron’s criminal history reveals a 2012 felony conviction for a drug-related offense in El Paso County.

Barron faces up to 10 years in federal prison.  Sentencing has yet to be scheduled.  Barron has remained in federal custody since his arrest on May 8, 2020.

U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Coburn of the FBI’s El Paso Division made today’s announcement.

The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, El Paso Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Hanna is prosecuting this case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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