Possible Walmart Mass Shooting Thwarted in Texas; Suspect Arrested

Possible Walmart Mass Shooting Thwarted in Texas; Suspect Arrested

A Texas man has been arrested and charged with a felony after authorities say that he was planning a mass shooting at a Walmart. Law enforcement in Kerr County, TX, were able to intercept the man’s plans before any violence took place, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to a press release from the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, 28-year-old Coleman Thomas Blevins, 28, was arrested on May 28, and has been charged with making a "terroristic threat to create public fear and serious bodily injury."

"KCSO investigators made contact and conversed with Mr. Blevins and confirmed his affiliation and networking with extremist ideologies," the sheriff's office said in the press release. "On May 27th, KCSO Special Operations Division intercepted a message indicating that Blevins was preparing to proceed with a mass shooting. In the message, Mr. Blevins made a specific threat that included Wal-Mart."

"Working with the FBI, KCSO Investigators confirmed Mr. Blevins' capability of following through with the threat and moved immediately to arrest him," the press release continues.

Blevins' home has been searched by local law enforcement, which revealed firearms, ammunition, electronic evidence, concentrated THC, and radical ideology paraphernalia, including books, flags and handwritten documents were seized. Blevins is on felony probation for unrelated crimes and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

The Kerr County Sheriff's office described Blevins, of Kerrville, as a "threat to national security."

Blevins is being held on $250,000 bond. He has not yet entered a plea, and it's unclear whether he has retained an attorney authorized to speak on his behalf.

"This case reminds us that we need to always be vigilant. Many think 'that can't happen here', and it was well on the way to happening," said Sheriff Larry Leitha. "Our investigators did outstanding work in this case, and possibly saved many lives. The plot interrupted in this case is unthinkable."

Featured

  • Gaining a Competitive Edge

    Ask most companies about their future technology plans and the answers will most likely include AI. Then ask how they plan to deploy it, and that is where the responses may start to vary. Every company has unique surveillance requirements that are based on market focus, scale, scope, risk tolerance, geographic area and, of course, budget. Those factors all play a role in deciding how to configure a surveillance system, and how to effectively implement technologies like AI. Read Now

  • 6 Ways Security Awareness Training Empowers Human Risk Management

    Organizations are realizing that their greatest vulnerability often comes from within – their own people. Human error remains a significant factor in cybersecurity breaches, making it imperative for organizations to address human risk effectively. As a result, security awareness training (SAT) has emerged as a cornerstone in this endeavor because it offers a multifaceted approach to managing human risk. Read Now

  • The Stage is Set

    The security industry spans the entire globe, with manufacturers, developers and suppliers on every continent (well, almost—sorry, Antarctica). That means when regulations pop up in one area, they often have a ripple effect that impacts the entire supply chain. Recent data privacy regulations like GDPR in Europe and CPRA in California made waves when they first went into effect, forcing businesses to change the way they approach data collection and storage to continue operating in those markets. Even highly specific regulations like the U.S.’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) can have international reverberations – and this growing volume of legislation has continued to affect global supply chains in a variety of different ways. Read Now

  • Access Control Technology

    As we move swiftly toward the end of 2024, the security industry is looking at the trends in play, what might be on the horizon, and how they will impact business opportunities and projections. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols. 3

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3