Coleman Thomas Blevins, left and inset, was given a sentence after admitting guilt to having a firearm as a felon. (Photo on the left from court documents; Evidence photo and mug shot from Kerr County Sheriff’s Office)
A Texas A person who appeared in a photo on Snapchat holding an assault-style rifle and wrote, “I have no problem spending the rest of my life in prison” for planning an attack on Walmart was given a five-year sentence in federal prison. shooting Coleman Thomas Blevins received his fate this week after admitting guilt in November to having a firearm as a felon related to the 2021 threat, stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a news release.
Officials said the situation came to attention on May 27, 2021, when an undercover officer joined the private Snapchat group Blevins had created and observed discussions of violence toward people, as noted in court documents. An announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office shared that Coleman Thomas Blevins was sentenced to five years in federal prison after admitting guilt to having a firearm as a felon due to a threat related to Walmart in 2021..
Authorities explained that the situation was discovered on May 27, 2021, when an undercover officer gained access to the private Snapchat group formed by Blevins and noted discussions of harming individuals, based on court documents.
The officer reported that Blevins had been making plans for a mass shooting, and law enforcement believed he was capable of carrying it out.
“I’m going to Walmart,” authorities stated he messaged the group on May 27, 2021, accompanied by a photo of himself holding a black assault-style rifle.
He posted another message saying, “I have no problem spending the rest of my life in prison for shootings up Walmart,” according to authorities.
Following this, Blevins sent a message indicating his desire to kill Americans, according to court documents.
He was detained the next day on a warrant for a terroristic threat to instill public fear of serious bodily injury, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release. When his apartment on Spence Street was searched, investigators uncovered 370 rounds of .223 ammunition, 59 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, and 127 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, along with a black AR-15 .223 rifle found in his roommate’s vehicle – the same one he was posing with in the Snapchat message..
Law enforcement also seized “extreme ideology paraphernalia,” such as books, flags, and handwritten documents, as per officials.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, books found included “The Turner Diaries,” “Revolt Against the Modern World,” “Harassment Architecture,” and the Quran.
The Blevins was placed in the Kerr County Jail, north of San Antonio, on a charge of having a firearm as a felon linked to a drug conviction, officials confirmed. Upon investigating his social media activity, officials discovered that the Walmart threat wasn’t the first threatening post. He had previously shared pictures of himself holding guns and ammunition three times, authorities revealed.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza commented at the time of the arrest, “Threats to carry out mass shootings are reprehensible. Thanks to the quick work of our law enforcement partners, this threat remained just that and did not turn into a tragic event. This case shows our commitment to uncover online anonymity and aggressively pursue and prosecute those who threaten harm to our community.”
Aaron Tapp, the head of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, stated at that time that Blevins’ threat was genuine, and he had access to weapons that “would have allowed him to carry out those threats.”
Sheriff Larry Leitha stated the plan was “well on the way to happening.”
“Our investigators did exceptional work in this case, and possibly saved many lives,” he said. “The plot interrupted in this case is unthinkable.”
Prosecutors sought 78 months and three years of supervised release, “given Blevins’ conduct, to deter others, and protect the public from further crimes by Blevins,” according to the government’s
sentencing memo
“This is not a basic firearms possession case,” the memo said. “The posts made by Blevins are alarming, especially in this District where a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart occurred less than two years prior to Blevins’ threats.” “Blevins did not simply make posts without intending to emphasize the truth of his threats,” the document added. “Nor did he merely possess firearms privately without informing others of his armed-and-readiness. The public posts of himself possessing weapons were timed and calculated to enhance Blevins’ authenticity relative to his Walmart comment and reinforce his commitment to carrying through with the acts he threatened. The court should take him at his word.”.
Blevins’ attorney countered in his
sentencing memo
, arguing for 27 months of custody and a one-year suspended sentence. He said his client admits he was wrong and accepts full responsibility after snapping a selfie at a gun shop and posting it with “a reprehensible statement” to a Snapchat group. “To begin with, the fleeting moment of possession in question took place in the controlled environment of a gun shop,” said the attorney, Lance Kennedy. “Mr. Blevins picked it up not to buy or use, but rather to snap a photo for his group chat. His actions, no doubt, were ill-advised, but the context belies the Government’s suggestion that he was ‘reinforc[ing] his commitment’ to the putative threat to others which accompanied the photo. Not only did he lack the capacity to carry out any such threat — the firearm was locked up, unloaded, and secure under the store’s control — he also clearly lacked the intent. After all, he made no efforts to buy the gun or take it off site, and he owns no firearms of his own.”“According to Mr. Blevins, these were born of immaturity, foolishness, and a yearning for attention.”
A man who posted a photo of himself on Snapchat holding an assault-style rifle and making a threat to shoot up a Walmart was sentenced to five years in prison.
“According to Mr. Blevins, these were born of immaturity, foolishness, and a yearning for attention.”