Who is Joel Bowman? Gunman who fired shots outside Memphis Jewish school identified by community members
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: The gunman who was shot by the police after allegedly firing shots outside a Jewish school in Memphis on Monday, July 31, has been identified by community members as Joel Bowman. As per Associated Press, Bowman approached Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva around 12:20 PM on Monday and fired several shots before leaving in a maroon truck.
Shortly after, officers found the suspect's truck and shot him after he exited the vehicle with a firearm in his hands. No one was harmed or injured at the scene and Bowman was hospitalized in a critical condition. According to Action News 5, sources shared that Bowman is a member of the Orthodox community in Memphis and a former student of the Margolin Hebrew Academy himself.
What is known about Joel Bowman?
Bowman has been identified as the 32-year-old gunman who was shot at by cops after he fired shots outside Memphis' Margolin Hebrew Academy on July 31. According to The Jerusalem Post, Bowman has a history with Memphis police. He is the son of cardiologist Dr Anthony Bowman who died after being shot by police officers outside his Memphis home in May 2003. A death notice reportedly published in the local newspaper at the time encouraged people to provide donations to Margolin Hebrew Academy in Anthony's memory.
As per The Jerusalem Post, Bowman's mother, Susan, called 911 nearly 20 years ago as her husband began showing alleged erratic behaviour and held a handgun to his head. She reportedly filed a legal complaint seeking compensation the following year and said that she and a then-minor Bowman were in the "zone of danger" at the time and experienced emotional distress.
Susan's complaint was reportedly dismissed in 2010 as she could not "in good faith allege that the police officers’ conduct… was motivated by considerations of race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin," which was a requirement of the statute under which she filed the compensation, a ruling by a Tennessee court revealed. However, the death of Anthony and another man at the hands of Memphis police officers on the same day led to the Memphis Police Department piloting the use of nonlethal weapons such as tasers, local newspapers reported as per The Jerusalem Post.
By 2010, Bowman already finished high school and received a scholarship to attend Lev HaTorah, a yeshiva in Israel for the 2009-2010 academic year. As per Bowman's Facebook page, he often posted about basketball games and punk concerts during high school. In 2019, he also posted about Suicide Prevention Day in 2019. Earlier this year, he posted images of Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee, Jews who were murdered in a shooting attack in the West Bank. On July 24, Bowman shared that he was set to launch a farm and flower business.
Last weekend, Bowman posted a photo of his father’s grave, located in the Anshei Sphard Cemetery in Memphis and said he was having a "therapy breakthrough" in another extended post. He also used a Hebrew term for God and shared that he "yelled at Hashem" at the gravesite, the Jerusalem Post reported. Bowman also addressed the universe and wrote, "Please allow me to keep my calm, to remember to breathe, and to REMEMBER WHO I COME FROM."
'I don’t think he would ever intentionally hurt someone'
Bowman's identity was reportedly confirmed by a friend of the family who was a former classmate of the suspect, as per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Rep Steve Cohen, a Jewish Democrat who represents Memphis in Congress, also confirmed that Bowman attended the same school, The Jerusalem Post reported. However, several of Bowman's friends and family members were left shocked by the revelation.
"Genuinely to the core, I don’t think he would ever intentionally hurt someone," Brittney Eshelman-Worch, who attended Margolin Hebrew Academy with Bowman, told a local news station. "He has struggled with mental health for a number of years," she added. "We are shocked and saddened by the events that took place at MHA-FYOS yesterday, and incredibly grateful to God that thanks to our school’s extensive security measures and the swift response by the Memphis Police Department, everyone is safe," the school said in a statement. "Thank you to the entire Memphis community and our friends around the world for your love and support. We stand united in our commitment to keeping all students and school staff members safe," the statement added.