Jewish Man Shot by Police After Attempting to Attack Jewish School

On Monday, police in Memphis shot a man who allegedly attempted to attack a Jewish day school. The incident took place around noon at Margolin Hebrew Academy Feinstone Yeshiva of the South, an Orthodox school on the city’s east side. The man fired shots outside the school but was unable to gain entry and left the scene. He was later shot by police officers when they approached him nearby, according to both Memphis police and Jewish security officials, JTA reported.

Remarkably, the suspect was a member of the Jewish community, and the incident appeared to have personal motives, as stated by a spokesperson for the Secure Community Network, an organization that coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide.

Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, revealed that the suspect was a man in his 40s who tried to enter the school but was thwarted by the security system. Fortunately, the school’s closed-circuit TV system captured images of the man, which were shared with the police, aiding in the situation.

Sadly, the suspect was killed after being shot by a police officer and was transported to a hospital in critical condition, according to the Memphis Police Department.

Margolin Hebrew Academy, which caters to students from pre-kindergarten through high school, promptly issued an alert to its community, reassuring them that no one had been harmed, and the campus was closed for everyone’s safety.

The incident occurred during the summer break when the day school had some personnel on-site, including construction workers. The building immediately went into lockdown following the shooting. As a precautionary measure, all schools in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district were also placed on lockdown, but the lockdown was lifted at 2 p.m.

Michael Masters disclosed that the suspect had made statements indicating he was targeting the facility for a specific reason and was considered a “known offender.”

Rep. Steve Cohen, a Jewish congressman representing Memphis, expressed concern that the shooting might be a possible hate crime. It was later revealed that the alleged shooter was a former student at Margolin Hebrew Academy.

The Jewish Community Partners, the local Jewish federation, has been collaborating with Masters’ organization for years, working to enhance security policies and access government grants for increased facility security.

Thankfully, the school’s security system played a crucial role in averting tragedy. Dan Crow, an assistant police chief, commended the school’s safety procedures during a press conference, stating that they prevented anyone from being harmed or injured during the incident.