A Las Cruces man, Dion Lee Torres, 25, has been charged federally after authorities responded to a social media threat involving a school shooting. The FBI began investigating on December 17, 2025, after receiving an emergency disclosure from TikTok about a comment made during a livestream threatening to “shoot up a school” and kill children. Investigators traced the threat to Torres by linking his TikTok account with Google account records and an IP address associated with his residence in Las Cruces.
Officers from the Las Cruces Police Department went to the residence where they observed Torres smoking marijuana and determined he had access to a firearm. Due to concerns of imminent violence, officers obtained an Extreme Risk Firearms Protection Order. They seized a loaded firearm, three fully loaded magazines, and armor-piercing ammunition.
Torres is charged with possession of a firearm by someone who is addicted to or unlawfully using a controlled substance. He will remain in custody while awaiting trial; no date has been set yet. If convicted, Torres could face up to 15 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the charges.
The investigation was conducted by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Dickens is prosecuting the case.
“A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
