GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants faced of unease this past week as a threatening video surfaced on social media. The footage, where a student, Andres Herrera, is heard making a school shooting threat against an unspecified elementary school. The video caused community concerned that helped lead to the arrest of two individuals, Herrera and his live-in in girlfriend, Tessa Charlie, according to the Grants Police Department. Officers made their arrests on August 21.
The viral video, shared across Facebook, showed Herrera flaunting a firearm in a pink-colored bedroom. Another voice in the video's background was heard issuing a threatening remark about a local elementary school. Before this video began trending in local social media circles, a threat made in the last school year had begun circulating on social media that also threatened to shoot a “Cibola High School”.
Given the situation, the Grants Police Department had previously arranged for a heightened law enforcement presence during the week starting August 21 as a result of the meme. But, as the video's circulation grew, authorities felt compelled to act more immediately.
Subsequent to thorough investigations, officers pinpointed three individuals on the 300 block of Truman Avenue in Grants. The duo, 21year-old Andres Herrera and 18-year-old Tessa Charlie, was taken into custody. Notably, the firearm they allegedly flaunted in the video was retrieved by law enforcement during their investigation.
Upon questioning, Charlie said, 'We were joking around and never meant to make those threats.' She further indicated that the firearm belonged to her boyfriend, Herrera, and the video was filmed on her cell phone, which she specified as a 'black iPhone 13 pro max.'
Herrera and Charlie will now face court for the panic their videos created. The two are faced with one felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and a charge of an unlawful shooting threat. Postarrest, both were given a conditional release. A court hearing for the pair has been set for September 26.
The ongoing collaboration between GPD and other agencies allowed for an indepth investigation, according to police reports about the incident.