A 19-year-old Kountze man, Brady Michael Martinez, was arrested Sunday and is facing a Class B misdemeanor charge of Terroristic Threat after he reportedly made a Facebook comment regarding a church shooting during a live-streamed service of Open House Ministries, located in the 3600 block of Main Street in Liberty.
In the Facebook post, Martinez reportedly stated, “Wheres the shooter I wanna see another shooting again.” His comment was seen by other people watching the live-streamed church service and was reported to Liberty Police Department.
While responding officers found no evidence of an active shooter scenario, the man’s online comment reportedly disrupted the church service and caused a multi-agency response, leading to the charge against him.
In Texas, a Class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail and carries a maximum fine of $2,000.
Open House Ministries’ pastors responded afterward in a Facebook post to encourage congregants to not give in to fear and move forward.
“All is well. We thank God for his protection. There’s no weapon formed against us that’s going to prosper,” said Pastor Jerry Scott.
He thanked Liberty Police Department for their “phenomenal” response. Scott said the church is moving forward and looking at ways to further improve its security measures.
“We are not going to allow the enemy to come and bring fear because fear is not of God for He has not given us the spirit of fear but power, love and a sound mind,” Scott said. “Even though we do have security here, we will be working [and] implementing some new things in our security so you can come and worship freely.”
NOTE: Martinez’s mugshot is not available at this time.
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