Albuquerque police arrested a 35-year-old student from Central New Mexico Community College for allegedly threatening to shoot up the campus. Authorities said he had a gun in his backpack, according to a criminal complaint.
Police went to CNM around noon on Wednesday and arrested the suspect identified as Brandon Stockman.
Court documents state that a professor met with Stockman earlier that day to inform him that he was failing his classes. Later, a colleague told the professor that the student had made threats to shoot up the school.
Police said officers found the professor visibly frightened and emotional when they responded.
Students React to the Incident
“It’s shocking, it’s scary too, what if I was here and happened, or what if someone was in front of him and he was mad and let his angry out on him,” student Edgar Cuvas said.
Another student told a responding officer that Stockman had grown increasingly aggressive toward the school administration over his grades.
The same student said the 35-year-old appeared visibly angry after leaving his meeting, adding that his eyes looked red as other students tried to calm him down.
Stockman Remains in Custody
Prosecutors asked the court to keep Stockman in custody. A judge will make a decision at a pre-trial detention hearing. For now, Stockman remains in jail.
Meanwhile, a campus security guard said he first stopped Stockman on campus. He claimed the suspect agreed to hand over his backpack and gun.
Stockman allegedly told the security guard he had the gun because he had been caring for his 5-year-old son. He said he wanted to keep it in a safe place.
