Ex-midshipman charged after Naval Academy threat sparked lockdown

A former U.S. Naval Academy midshipman from Indiana has been charged in connection with a threat that triggered last week’s lockdown on the Annapolis campus.

Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Jackson Elliot Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, Indiana, faces one count of making an interstate threat after allegedly posting a message through a social media app about the academy. He was arrested Friday and is scheduled for a detention hearing next week.

Fleming, once a member of the Academy’s Class of 2025, is accused of making a threat that set off widespread fear on campus and confusion among midshipmen and law enforcement. During the incident, a midshipman mistakenly struck a Navy police officer with a parade rifle, believing the officer to be an armed suspect. The officer responded by shooting the midshipman in the upper arm and shoulder. Both men were hospitalized and later released.

While social media chatter at the time suggested an active shooter disguised as law enforcement, Navy officials later confirmed that no shooter was present.

Jonathan Bedi, Fleming’s attorney, said his client had recently graduated from college and planned to attend law school.
“We intend to fight these charges vigorously,” Bedi said in a statement. “Jack should not be judged on a mere accusation. When the full facts emerge, I am confident he will be vindicated.”

The lockdown occurred Sept. 12, one day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah college. That same week, campuses across the country received threats, and leaders of Maryland’s General Assembly were also targeted by bomb threats.

At the Naval Academy, the panic began just before 5:30 p.m. as police and military officials swept Bancroft Hall, the academy’s massive dormitory. The mistaken clash between the midshipman and the police officer unfolded amid rumors of an armed intruder.

Capt. David Forman, the deputy commandant of midshipmen, later confirmed to the brigade that officials believe the midshipman misidentified the officer as a threat.

The investigation into Fleming’s alleged threat is ongoing, and additional updates are expected.

Former Midshipman Charged in Naval Academy Threat That Sparked Lockdown  was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com