The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on Wednesday officially confirmed that the suspect in the attempted school shooting at Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South (MHA-FYOS) is Joel Bowman and that he has been charged with several crimes stemming from the incident.
“Today, agents secured and served Bowman with warrants, charging him with one count each of Carrying Weapons on School Property, Reckless Endangerment, Criminal Attempted Second-Degree Murder, Possessing a Firearm During the Commission or Attempt to Commit a Dangerous Felony, and Assault Against a First Responder. At the time of this release, he remained hospitalized in Memphis,” TBI said in a press release.
Bowman, 33, who attended the school, was unofficially identified by former classmates after a video of him attempting to breach the school’s entrance was released.
During the incident, Bowman fired two shots outside of the school, but fled when he could not access the building. He ran to his truck, where he fired his weapon again but was tracked down by Memphis Police shortly thereafter.
When he was pulled over, he allegedly stepped out of his vehicle holding a weapon, at which time police shot him. He has been in the hospital since.
“I am proud of the vigilant and quick response of MPD officers who mitigated a potential mass shooting situation today,” said Memphis Police Department Chief CJ Davis. “Many thanks to our neighboring jurisdictions for also providing critical information needed to stop the suspect’s action.”
“We are shocked and saddened by the events that took place at MHA-FYOS yesterday, and incredibly grateful to God that thanks to our school’s extensive security measures and the swift response by the Memphis Police Department, everyone is safe,” the school said on its Facebook page. “Thank you to the entire Memphis community and our friends around the world for your love and support. We stand united in our commitment to keeping all students and school staff members safe.”
The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Meanwhile, the General Assembly’s August special session on gun control will begin in a few weeks.
Called by Gov. Bill Lee (R) in the wake of the mass shooting at The Covenant School, which left six people dead, Lee and many Democrats have pushed for red flag laws, among other gun control laws.
Elected Tennessee Democrats have embarked on a bus tour to promote gun control, which will end at the state capitol on August 21, the day the special session begins.
Elected Tennessee Republicans say that red flag laws are a “non-starter,” setting up a showdown with the governor and their political rivals.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Building” by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“Elected Tennessee Republicans say that red flag laws are a “non-starter,” setting up a showdown with the governor and their political rivals.”
Stand Strong Repubs! You know you have your constituency’s support on this!!!