On August 17, 2023 at approximately 15:25 hours, Littlefield Police Department received a call from the Littlefield Primary School that a male subject was walking near the school holding a long rifle.
The school was put on hold and children were not allowed to dismiss. Officers conducted a search of the area, and were placed throughout the school zone until all students and staff were dismissed.
At approximately 15:39 hours, the subject was found in the area, in the 200 block of S. Westside Ave., Littlefield, Texas.
The subject was seen by officers holding a long rifle with a black barrel, and wooden stock. The rifle had no orange markers. The subject was contacted by Police and discarded the rifle on the ground. He was detained and identified as Christopher Jesus Morales.
The rifle was recovered and found to be .177 caliber BB gun.
Due to Mr. Morales’s actions, school dismissal was interrupted, preventing students from being released at the regular time, and preventing buses from continuing on their routine routes. His actions caused fear of injury or death to the members of the community in the area of the school.
Mr. Morales was arrested for Terroristic Threat and disorderly conduct. The Terroristic Threat offense was enhanced to a 3rd Degree Felony, due to him placing a substantial group of the public in fear of injury.
Littlefield Police Department wants to thank the members of the community and school district for reporting the suspicious activity. We also want to thank the Texas Department of Public Safety for their immediate response and assistance with the incident.