Police officers in Memphis thwart mass shooting at Jewish school by gunning down ‘former student’ as he fired shots and tried to force his way in
- Staff at Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South called the Memphis Police Department at 12:20 a.m. Monday to report a gunman near the school
- The school shared a photo of the shooter, describing him as being in his 40s and armed with a pistol, driving a red pickup truck with California license plates.
- He was apprehended by police nearby and shot by officers: he remains hospitalized in critical condition. Congressman Steve Cohen said he was a former student
Staff at a Jewish school in Memphis were praised for their quick thinking after denying an armed man entry to the school and then calling the police, only to stop him shortly afterwards.
Southern Hebrew Academy Margolin/Feinstone Yeshiva employees called police at 12:20 a.m. Monday to report that a man with a handgun had tried to enter the school and fired his gun outside.
Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, shared Jewish Telegraphic Agency the suspect was a man in his 40s who attempted to enter the school but was prevented from doing so by a security system.
Congressman Steve Cohen told The Daily Memphis the suspect was Jewish and a former student.
Surveillance camera footage shows how the man, armed with a hand gun, tries to enter the school on Monday. The interior doors were closed
Police are seen outside the Hebrew Academy in Memphis on Monday afternoon
Memphis police said it was too early to determine whether the attack was a hate crime
Noticing the entrance was blocked, he fled, but the school shared security camera footage of the suspect and told police he was driving a maroon Ram pickup truck with California tags.
The man was apprehended about five kilometers from the school.
As he got out, he confronted police with his gun and was shot.
He was taken to hospital and is in critical condition.
“Today is a good example of very vigilant, vigilant officers trying to protect the city,” said Assistant Chief of Police Don Crowe.
“Personally, I really believe that we have avoided a tragedy. I think the suspect would hurt someone before the day was out.’
Don Crowe, the assistant chief of the Memphis Police Department, praised the officers and staff involved
Cohen also praised the security systems at the school.
“We recently learned that the shooter at Margolin Hebrew Academy was himself Jewish and a former student of the school,” the congressman said.
‘I am glad that the academy was well secured and that the police acted quickly to protect students.’
The shooting is the second outside a Memphis school in less than a week.
On July 25, a Freedom Preparatory Academy security guard was shot.
Senate Majority Leader Raumesh Akbari, a Democrat representing Memphis, demanded stricter gun control.
“With the new school year approaching, this is the second shooting at a school campus in Memphis in less than a week,” he said.
“No family or community should live in constant fear that gun violence could claim the lives of their children or loved ones.
“We are not powerless in the face of this epidemic of gun violence. We can implement reforms that stop future gun violence.
“Now it’s more urgent than ever for lawmakers to come together at our special session to give police the tools they need to prevent shootings in the first place.”
Police said they cannot yet say whether the shooting at the Hebrew academy was a hate crime.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the attempted attack.