A 19-year-old student, Terrence Jones, was arrested on campus for making threats to commit a school shooting at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. The suspect had allegedly texted another student earlier in the week, cautioning them not to come to school as he planned to “shoot up the classroom and kill himself,” according to a report by Action News 5.
In detaining the student, who takes a welding class at the college, a Glock was found by officers in the door of his car. The Memphis Police Department (MPD) also confirmed that the student was apprehended at the Alabama Avenue campus upon a follow-up visit yesterday. As FOX13 Memphis reported, students, faculty, and staff received an email notifying them that the situation had been secured and that an individual had intended to bring a firearm to the campus.
Jones now faces charges for threatening mass violence at school or a school-sanctioned activity and for carrying or possessing a weapon on school property, and he reportedly is held on a $10,000 bond with a court hearing scheduled for Friday, as revealed by WREG. In response to the incident, local legislators, including State Representatives G.A. Hardaway and Mark White, were contacted. Hardaway highlighted the need for more substantive debate and action on gun reform in Tennessee, remarking, "We’re not in full agreement on what regulation and education of firearms needs to look like, but everyone is smart enough to know that the old adage of a good guy with a gun will prevent all of these gun crimes."
Despite the arrest and the seriousness of the threat, some students expressed a desensitization to such acts of violence. One student noted feeling safe due to the campus security measures stating, "You have to have access to get in, you got to have your badge to get in. I feel safe," she told FOX13 Memphis. While another student reported the threat, leading to the confiscation of the gun by law enforcement, Hardaway commented on the incident, ensuring the campus's safety and affirming that the students were well protected.
