MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Gun violence and mental health are two issues coming up time and time again, this time in the face of threats to Memphis day care centers.
Parents in the midtown area have been made aware of threats made by a person police have not identified as a suspect. One parent we spoke with is hoping for more transparency from local officials.
“We were notified by a whole school message from the director on Monday at 3pm that Memphis Police had notified the school that there was a threat made to say that there was an individual that was not in police custody who was going to shoot up one of the schools in midtown,” parent Audrey Royle said.
She says MPD was also supposed to patrol the school area to ensure safety as the person has not yet been apprehended.
“Police did come but they were only there for about an hour, they left before school let out which did not put any of our minds at ease,” Royle said.
Lindenwood child care did send a message to parents at 2pm on Wednesday saying MPD and a Crisis Intervention team met up with the individual Tuesday evening finding the threats to the school were not credible. Audrey and other parents say they don’t feel safe having their kids in the daycare centers without the suspect in police custody.
“On the back of Uvalde, that happened just this summer, that’s still fresh in all of our minds,” Royle said. “Absolutely, that’s a very serious threat and I take it very seriously, we actually have kept our child home today she will not be returning to school until this person is apprehended,” Royle said. “Again, there’s a police presence or the situation is resolved because there’s nothing more important than the safety of our children.”
Audrey is hoping that the threats are taken seriously by law enforcement as it has been multiple days since the individual made threats to the first care center in midtown.
We have reached out to MPD and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations. TBI has said this is not an incident in which their involvement was requested. MPD said this is an ongoing investigation and if anyone notices something abnormal to report it.