Uniting the speech act analysis framework with the reported speech notion, this study of 847 audio-recorded interviews (2010-2014) from four Central American countries (El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama), unveils six reported threat categories. Their interpretation is made in the social context of communities under permanent assault by local gangs (often linked to national gangs and international narcotrafficking cartels). The reliability of the various types of threats is assessed, employing Goffman’s (1981) insight into the intricacy of speaker roles in face-to-face interaction.