Joel Bowman was identified by family and friends to WREG-TV as the armed man accused of firing a weapon outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 31, 2023.
No one was injured during that incident, but Memphis police said in a news release that an officer later shot Bowman when the suspect was stopped by police.
According to WREG-TV, Bowman’s doctor father was shot and killed by police 20 years ago. Bowman’s mother filed a lawsuit against Memphis police in the death of Dr. Anthony Bowman, alleging that he was not a threat and was emotionally distraught when shot, but it was dismissed.
On July 31, 2023, about two hours before the incident, Bowman posted a graphic on Facebook reading, “Gots time on my hands 👀👀 ‘Home’ Court Visit 🧐🧐😶.” He posted a picture of his father’s grave to Facebook on July 29, 2023, along with a rambling statement.
Memphis police have not yet identified the suspect publicly.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Joel Bowman Is a Former Student at the Margolin Hebrew Academy, Reports Say
Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) said in a statement obtained by WREG-TV that the suspect, in the words of the television station, “was Jewish himself and a former student at the school.”
“We have recently learned that the shooter at the Margolin Hebrew Academy was himself Jewish and a former student at the school. I am pleased the academy had effective security and that the police acted quickly to protect students,” Cohen said, according to WREG-TV.
Cohen also tweeted, “I was shocked to learn of the senseless incident that took place today at Margolin Hebrew Academy in #Memphis, and relieved at reports that no one at the school was injured. Pleased that the academy had effective security, and that the police acted quickly to protect students.”
On Facebook, Bowman wrote that he “Went to Yeshiva of the South. Went to Cooper Yeshiva High School for Boys. Lives in Memphis, Tennessee. From Fargo, North Dakota.”
2. Joel Bowman Is Accused of Firing a Handgun Outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy
In a news release posted to their Twitter page, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said that, at approximately 12:20 p.m., officers received a call that a male White, who was armed with a handgun, was at Margolin Hebrew Academy located at 390 South White Station. Reportedly, the male fired his weapon while outside the school. No injuries were reported.”
According to the police press release, “the suspect responsible fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival. The suspect fled the scene in a maroon Ram pickup truck with California tags.”
A broadcast “was disseminated countywide,’ the news release said. “MPD then received information that the suspect was possibly seen in Bartlett, TN. Moments later, MPD officers on patrol located the usspect’s vehicle in the area of McCrory and Gary.”
3. Memphis Police Shot Joel Bowman, Leaving Him in Critical Condition
Memphis police say a “potential mass shooting” was prevented after a suspect tried to enter a Jewish school with a gun and opened fire when he couldn’t gain entry. t.co/AbPyUunT5h
According to Memphis police, officers “conducted a traffic stop, at which time the driver exited his vehicle armed with a handgun. An MPD officer fired his duty weapon, striking the suspect. The suspect has been transported to Regional One in critical condition.”
Due to the suspect’s condition “and in accordance with policy, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been contacted and will be conducting this investigation," the police news release says.
The investigation is ongoing, it says.
“I am proud of the vigilant and quick response of MPD officers who mitigated a potential mass shooting situation today,” the chief said in the news release. “Many thanks to our neighboring jurisdictions for also providing critical information to stop the suspect’s actions.”
4. Joel Bowman’s Father Was Shot & Killed by Memphis Police Years Ago; His Mother Said in a Lawsuit that Anthony Bowman Was ‘Emotionally Disturbed’
Facebook (Joel Bowman)Joel Bowman posted this picture on Facebook.
On July 29, 2023, Bowman posted a picture of his father’s grave to Facebook and wrote a long rambling statement. It read in part,
I’ve had some time to “Think”, and I Believe My Father “Helped” slap some DAMN SENSE into me
My bad ‘BigBoss’💙💙💙💙
Y’all, I was Trying INCREDIBLY HARD to be Polite, Kind AND 100% SINCERE when I posted about the Bessers.
YALL.
LET ME BE CRYSTAL CLEAR.
AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BELIEVE ME
please🙏🏼
I would be DEAD RIGHT NOW, if it wasn’t for
Mr.Besser
He’s THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WHO HAD THE STOMACH
TO LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND CHALLENGE ME
TO LITERALLY
‘PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY BIG FAT MOUTH WAS’
Brittney Eshelman-Worch, a former student with Bowman, told WREG-TV that he has mental health issues and “genuinely to the core, I don’t think he would ever intentionally hurt someone.”
She told the television station that Bowman’s father, “a respected doctor who also suffered from mental illness, was shot and killed by Memphis police” 20 years ago.
“Someone felt unsafe and called the police, and as he was going to put down the gun, he had turned around and I think it was like nine or ten police officers all opened fire at the same time and completely mutilated him,” Eshelman-Worch said to the television station.
She added that the shooting left Bowman traumatized, WREG reproted.
According to a lawsuit filed by Bowman’s mother, Susan L. Bowman, against the City of Memphis,
Ms. Bowman alleged in her complaint that, on May 14, 2003, police officers shot and killed her husband, Dr. Anthony J. Bowman (Dr. Bowman), in the course of responding to her 911 call for assistance. She asserted that she had informed 911 operators that Dr. Bowman was ‘acting erratically and appeared to be emotionally distraught’; that Dr. Bowman apparently had left the family home; and that Dr. Bowman suffered from and was taking medication for bipolar disorder. Ms. Bowman further alleged that Dr. Bowman returned to the family home and that, when she and police officers also returned to the home, Dr. Bowman placed a handgun to his head and threatened to kill himself. She asserted that Dr. Bowman ran up and down a flight of stairs and left the home through the front door. Ms. Bowman alleged that Dr. Bowman had the handgun pointed as his head during the incident, that he did not point the gun at anyone else, and that he did not threaten to harm anyone other than himself. She alleged that police officers shot Dr. Bowman multiple times and killed him despite the fact that ‘though emotionally disturbed, Dr. Bowman was not a threat to anyone else.'”
The court dismissed the suit, which mentions Joel Bowman, then a minor.
5. Joel Bowman Wrote a Series of Rambling Posts on Facebook
Facebook (Joel Bowman)Joel Bowman post
The day before the incident, Bowman wrote on Facebook, “Let me explain how my ‘Mind’ works a lil bit It’s never ‘Quiet’ up in there, it *Could* have driven me Insane It *Could* have Killed me, I know from personal experience 💔.”
He described himself as “restless.”
Two days before the incident, he wrote,
I LOVE ALL OF YALL
I will let you speak your mind to my face
If I’m lying I AM ANNOUNCING TO THE ENTIRE WORLD
THAT I RENOUNCE MY PLACE IN THE AFTERLIFE
💯💯💯
RABBI NATHAN GREENBLATT OF BLESSED MEMORY
GAVE ME ACCESS TO MY NESHAMA
If I’m Lying, Hashem can take it back IMMEDIATELY
For my Non-Jew friends, that’s as IRON CLAD a statement as anyone JEW can make publicly
I LOVE YALL
“At the request of 30th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, TBI special agents are responding to an officer-involved shooting in the 4800 block of McCory Street in Memphis,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a news release, TBI gave these details:
Preliminary information indicates that just before 12:30 p.m. a person with a gun attempted to enter a Memphis school in the 300 block of South White Station Road. He reportedly fired shots before driving away. At approximately 1:30 p.m., the vehicle linked to the incident was located by a Memphis police officer in the 4800 block of McCory Street. According to reports from the scene, the driver exited the vehicle holding a firearm. For reasons still under investigation, the officer fired his service weapon, striking the individual. He was transported from the scene by ambulance for treatment. No officers were injured in the incident.
TBI agents continue to work to independently determine the series of events leading to the officer-involved shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his review and consideration. The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters; that decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.
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