ANNAPOLIS, Md. (7News) — Social media posts from an Indiana man and former U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) midshipman threatened mass injury against those attending the academy, prompting a school-wide shutdown that left a student injured in the process, according to court documents.
An indictment filed in Northern Indiana explained how midshipmen at the USNA frequently chat with each other using Jodel. This location-based, anonymous social media app connects users with others nearby.
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The indictment stated that the suspect, Jackson Elliot Fleming, knowingly and willfully sent a message from Indiana to Maryland through Jodel, a communication to midshipmen and others at USNA containing a threat to injure midshipmen. Fleming allegedly wrote: “Honestly not that surprised I’ll be carrying out the mass execution of my peers in a couple.”
Fleming supposedly used an IP address to make it appear as if he were on the USNA campus.
During the response, two individuals were injured. Authorities said a midshipman sustained injuries from a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was taken to the hospital, where he was treated. A member of the naval security force also suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.
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A USNA spokesperson reported that Fleming had been recently dismissed from the academy and had made repeated threats toward the campus, prompting local and state law enforcement to conduct an extensive search of the grounds.
