Ex-Midshipman Is Charged in Threat That Led to 2 Injuries at Naval Academy

Source: New York Times

Ex-Midshipman Is Charged in Threat That Led to 2 Injuries at Naval Academy

The threat, which was made on social media, caused fears of an active shooter on the campus last week, leading to one person being shot and another injured.


The threat against the campus in Annapolis, Md., was made during a time of heightened concern after the murder of a conservative activist on an Utah college campus. Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

By Rylee Kirk
https://www.nytimes.com/by/rylee-kirk
Sept. 16, 2025, 6:03 p.m. ET

A former midshipman who posted a social media threat that prompted concerns about a potential active shooter and resulted in two injuries at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland last week is facing a criminal charge, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The former midshipman, Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, Ind., is charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate communication, prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Indiana said on Tuesday. … Mr. Fleming attended the academy from June 30, 2021, to Jan. 5, 2024, Cmdr. Ashley Hockycko said.

Amid the initial chaos and confusion caused by the online threat and ensuing emergency response last Thursday, a midshipman mistook a law enforcement officer for the shooter and struck him in the head with a parade rifle, military officials said. The law enforcement officer then fired at the midshipman, wounding him in the arm, they also said. … Both were treated at a hospital and released, the officials said.

The false threat against the campus was made on a social media platform, but prosecutors did not say what platform it was posted on. It caused the campus to go into lockdown and provoked a flood of misinformation on social media.

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Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories for The Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/by/rylee-kirk


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/us/naval-academy-threat-arrest.html