A 45-year-old man is facing charges after deputies say he raised a knife toward them during a confrontation at his home near Memphis Business Academy’s Elementary and Middle School, following reports that he had threatened children and fired a gun near the campus in recent weeks. Gabriel Jefferson was arrested Tuesday after deputies responded to a report of an ongoing issue with a neighbor in the 7100 block of Market Square Drive, in southeast Shelby County.
Jefferson was charged with resisting arrest, assault with intimidation, and assault on a first responder, according to WREG. The neighbor who called deputies lived across the fence from the school, the station reports, and the call centered on a man nearby who had reportedly been using obscene language and making threats toward people, including children, at the school while vehicles and buses were picking up and dropping off kids on school property.
Teacher Described Earlier Gunfire Near Campus
The station’s report notes that a teacher told deputies the same man had been making threats against people parking at the school a few weeks earlier. When teachers confronted him at that time, he allegedly grabbed a gun and fired several shots in the area — an incident that, per the same account, was never reported to authorities at the time. A witness described being fearful of what Jefferson might do, which the outlet says is why the earlier shooting went unreported.
Deputies who later tried to contact Jefferson on school grounds said he responded with obscene language before the confrontation moved toward his property. According to the report, Jefferson grabbed a knife and told deputies, “don’t come over the fence,” before they moved to his yard.
Chemical Agent Used to End Standoff
Deputies said Jefferson then aggressively raised the knife toward them and refused orders to drop it. Facing continued noncompliance, deputies deployed a chemical agent and detained him, the same account states. Beyond the relative reference to Tuesday, the timeline of the alleged threats, gunfire, and knife confrontation has not been further detailed.
Memphis Business Academy describes itself as a PreK-12 system made up of six schools located in the Frayser, Berclair, and Hickory Hill areas, according to the school system’s own description. The network says it has grown from serving 68 students to more than 1,700 today, with more than 170 educators on staff, after being founded in 2005 by Rev. Anthony Anderson and Dr. Celia Anderson.
No booking record, bond information, or Jefferson’s response to the allegations has been made public. It also remains unclear whether anyone was struck by the earlier gunfire or whether a firearm was recovered from the property.
