EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A federal grand jury has indicted a New Mexico man who allegedly threatened to shoot the staff of a dentist for not seeing him without an appointment and burn down an apartment building.
Wednesday’s indictment came after a federal magistrate judge in Las Cruces, New Mexico, found Edward Laning Gordon mentally competent to stand trial on a charge of malicious threat to injure by fire and explosives.
Authorities in New Mexico began investigating Gordon on July 11 during the first of several incidents allegedly involving death threats, court documents show. On that day, Gordon allegedly showed up at a dental office in Roswell unannounced, wanting treatment and becoming aggressive with the staff, according to court records. He was given an Aug. 2 appointment and left.
A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico states police received information from the National Veterans and Military Crisis Line that Gordon called telling a representative he would “kill the staff members of the dental office” when he came in for his Aug. 2 appointment.
Later that month, as police were investigating the allegation, they responded to a domestic threats call at a Roswell address. The complaint states Gordon was there and allegedly told Roswell police he “had thoughts of shooting it out with the cops.”
Police seized a Ruger .38-caliber revolver and ammunition from Gordon and transported him to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center for a mandatory mental evaluation.
Authorities again heard from Gordon on Aug. 10, as he called Roswell police so they would return his gun and mentioned in passing he had purchased another gun since the July 30 seizure. Court records show the Chaves County District Attorney sought and received a protective order to seize all firearms from Gordon due to his alleged “current homicidal behavior.”
During the seizure, Gordon allegedly told investigators, “You know, I want to kill one of your officers. He’s a (expletive deleted) bag.” A few hours later, police returned to the apartment after receiving a call from the veterans’ crisis line stating Gordon was threatening to burn down his apartment building and slit his neighbor’s throat, according to the complaint affidavit.
Gordon allegedly told responding officers, “They’re just thoughts, man.” He was again taken to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center for a mandatory mental evaluation.
Records show Gordon was summoned to an April 2 competency hearing in Las Cruces and was found mentally competent. He is set for arraignment on April 22 in federal court in Las Cruces.
