Shots fired outside Memphis Jewish day school
A classroom at Margolin Hebrew Academy, pictured in 2021. (Screenshot from YouTube)
This is a developing story.
(JTA) — Shots were fired outside of a Jewish day school in Memphis on Monday, a day before classes were due to begin in the city’s school district.
The suspect died after being shot by police. No one else was injured in the shooting. According to a spokesperson for the Secure Community Network, an organization that coordinates security for Jewish institutions nationwide, the suspect was a member of the Jewish community and the incident appeared personal in nature.
The incident occurred around noon at Margolin Hebrew Academy Feinstone Yeshiva of the South, on the city’s east side. According to Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, the suspect was a male in his 40s who tried to enter the school but was prevented from doing so due to a security system.
The Orthodox school, which teaches students from pre-K through high school, sent an alert to its community.
“Please, be advised that we are currently in a developing active shooter situation. We can confirm that no one has been hurt in any way, and everyone is now safe, thank G-d,” the alert said. “Please look out for further communication with additional information to come. In the meantime, our campus is completely closed. We thank you for your understanding. May we all continue to merit Hashem’s protection.”
The school declined to provide additional comment to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The day school is still on summer break. But there were school personnel including construction workers during the shooting, and the building immediately went into lockdown, according to Masters. All Memphis-Shelby County Schools were also put on a precautionary lockdown, which was lifted at 2 pm.
“He had made statements that he was targeting the facility for a specific reason,” said Masters, who added that the suspect was a “known offender.”
An executive at Jewish Community Partners, the local Jewish federation, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the federation has worked for years with Masters’ organization. The federation has worked to help local Jewish institutions set security policies and access government grants meant to make facilities more secure.
“This is a testament to the Federation, the community in Memphis, taking a comprehensive approach to security that ensures the protection of the whole community,” Masters said. “It’s another reminder that we’re not going to choose the time and place of the next incident but we can choose our preparation, and today that preparation paid off.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
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