What we know about Jackson Fleming: Former midshipman accused of sending threat to Naval Academy
Indiana man charged with making online threats to Naval Academy
We are learning more about the man accused of sending an online threat to the U.S. Naval Academy that led to a midshipman being shot. Indiana resident Jackson Fleming, 23, was arrested in connection to last week's threat at the Naval Academy. FOX 5's Nana Sentuo-Bonsu reports.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -
We are learning more about the man accused of sending an online threat to the U.S. Naval Academy that led to a midshipman being shot.
Indiana resident Jackson Fleming, 23, was arrested in connection to last week's threat at the Naval Academy.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, the school went on lockdown and a midshipman was shot by a security officer, all because of a false threat.
What we know:
The investigation into the incident revealed that after the campus was put on lockdown, a midshipman assaulted a security guard, thinking the officer was a gunman carrying out a mass shooting on campus.
The security guard then shot the midshipman. It turned out that the whole threat was a hoax carried out by Fleming.
A source close to the investigation told FOX 5 that Fleming, a ‘"dismissed midshipman" made the online threats spoofing a Naval Academy IP address.
READ MORE: Indiana man charged with making online threat that caused US Naval Academy lockdown
Law enforcement alleges that Fleming sent the online threat through a social media app from his home Indiana.
The Naval Academy confirms that there was no active shooter.
Big picture view:
Last week, a number of universities across the country – including Virginia State and Hampton University went on lockdown and canceled classes after receiving fake threats following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Safety experts say, unfortunately, we can expect to see a surge in these false alarms.
"As our collective experience indicates, when these types of events occur, there are often copycat incidents and that creates an even more importance to ensure that we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the campus safety ecosystem," campus safety expert Michael Rein said.
Rein, a former higher education law enforcement officer, says the best thing universities can do in this time of uncertainty is to be up-to-date on training—especially when it comes to identifying threats.
"It’s important that campus safety executives utilize common sense and sound judgment when evaluating the characteristics of the threat. They want to look at how the threat was received. "Historically, there has never been an active shooter or critical incident where the 911 answering point only received one call. In a real incident we typically receive more than one call," Rein said.
What's next:
Jackson Fleming’s attorney, Jonathan Bedi, said in a statement to FOX 5 that "Jack is a young man with his entire future ahead of him. He recently graduated from college and is planning to attend law school. We intend to fight these charges in court vigorously. No one, including Jack, should be judged by a mere accusation from the government. We are prepared to mount the strongest possible defense, and I am confident that when the complete facts emerge, Jack will be vindicated."
Once Fleming is formally charged, he could face up to five years in a federal prison, if convicted.