Las Cruces man charged after social media post threatened school shooting
A Las Cruces man has been charged in federal court after authorities investigated a social media threat to shoot up a school and seized a loaded firearm and ammunition, according to court records.
Federal authorities say a threat posted during a TikTok livestream led to an FBI investigation, the seizure of a firearm and federal charges against a 25-year-old Las Cruces resident.
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - Federal prosecutors have charged a Las Cruces man after authorities say a social media post threatened a school shooting and prompted an emergency investigation involving the FBI and local police.
According to court records, the FBI received an emergency disclosure on Dec. 17 from TikTok after a comment posted during a livestream threatened to “shoot up a school” and kill children. Investigators traced the post to a Las Cruces residence associated with Dion Lee Torres, 25, using social media account records, Google account information and IP address data outlined in a criminal complaint.
Officers with the Las Cruces Police Department responded to the residence and encountered Torres, who was actively smoking marijuana, according to court documents. Officers also learned he possessed a firearm.
Citing concerns about the threat of imminent violence, officers obtained an Extreme Risk Firearms Protection Order and seized a loaded firearm, three loaded magazines and additional ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds, court records state.
Torres is charged in federal court with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. If convicted, the charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
He remains in custody while the case proceeds. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.
The FBI’s Las Cruces Resident Agency investigated the case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Federal prosecutors announced the charge Wednesday.
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