ANNAPOLIS, MD. – Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, Indiana has been federally charged with sending the online threat that led to a lockdown at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland last week, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Indiana.
Fleming’s attorney, Jonathan Bodi, told the Associated Press that “we intend to fight these charges in court vigorously.”
“No one, including Jack, should be judged by a mere accusation from the government,” Bodi wrote in an email. “We are prepared to mount the strongest possible defense, and I am confident that when the complete facts emerge, Jack will be vindicated.”
The backstory:
Fleming was arrested Friday on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application concerning the academy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana said in a press release. The post triggered a lockdown at the academy on Sept. 11 and prompted law enforcement to respond to what was ultimately a false report of a gunman on the campus.
The school said last week that there was no active shooter threat.
According to previous FOX 5 DC reporting, a midshipman was shot in the confusion; he had mistaken security as a threat. He was released from the hospital on Friday. A naval security force member also reportedly suffered minor injuries and was treated last week at a nearby hospital before being released.
Recent gun violence in US schools
Big picture view:
This false report was made amid a recent spike in gun violence at schools across the country.
Charlie Kirk, the conservative firebrand and founder of Turning Point USA, died after being shot while speaking at Utah Valley University last week, for example. This has dominated national headlines. Last week at a high school in Denver, two students were injured, and a gunman died following a shooting. Last month at a Minneapolis Catholic church, a shooting left two children from the affiliated school dead and 17 injured.
The Source: Information above was sourced from the Associated Press, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana, the Nebraska Examiner and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.