Cops Say Man Planned Mass Shooting at Walmart

'Radical ideology paraphernalia' found at home of Texas man Coleman Blevins
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 31, 2021 11:13 AM CDT
Cops Say They Foiled Mass Shooting at Walmart
This photo provided by the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, in Texas, shows Coleman Thomas Blevins.   (Kerr County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Police say they moved quickly after intercepting a message from a Texas man that indicated he was preparing to proceed with a mass shooting. The Kerr County Sheriff's Office says Coleman Thomas Blevins, 28, was arrested Friday on a warrant for "a Terroristic Threat to Create Public Fear of Serious Bodily Injury," CNN reports. In the message, Blevins "made a specific threat that included Walmart," police say. It's not clear when Blevins first appeared on authorities' radar, but the sheriff's office says the investigation of a potential attack involved the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, the FBI, the Kerrville Police Department, and the Secret Service working together for a week.

The sheriff's office says investigators confirmed Blevins' "networking with extremist ideologies." Police say that at Blevins' home in Kerrville, around 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, they found firearms and ammunition, along with "radical ideology paraphernalia." A photo released by the sheriff's office shows neo-Nazi flags and literature, along with a Confederate flag and a Saudi Arabian flag. The sheriff's office says that at the time of his arrest, Blevins was already on active felony probation and was banned from possessing firearms, KMOV reports. "This case reminds us that we need to always be vigilant," says Sheriff Larry Leitha. "Many think 'that can't happen here,' and it was well on the way to happening." Blevins is being held on $250,000 bond. (More Texas stories.)

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