Man who opened fire outside his former Jewish school in Memphis avoids prison with guilty plea

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man who was shot by police after he fired a gun at a contractor outside his former Jewish school in Memphis in 2023 pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to eight years’ probation.

Joel Bowman, 35, entered guilty pleas to aggravated assault and aggravated burglary in a Memphis courtroom. Bowman was then sentenced by Shelby County Judge James Jones III. During the hearing, Bowman answered “yes sir” to questions from the judge about whether he understood his sentence.

Authorities said Bowman was armed when he went to Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South on July 31, 2023, but he was denied entry. Class was not in session, but a limited number of staff and construction workers were present.

Bowman is a former student of the school and played basketball there. While not apparently motivated by antisemitism, the shooting took place during a tide of increased fears of anti-Jewish sentiment in the country. It came weeks after a man was convicted of storming a Pittsburgh synagogue and killing 11 congregants in the deadliest shooting of Jewish people in U.S. history. He was later sentenced to death.

Police said Bowman walked around the exterior of the school and fired two shots at a contractor, who was not hit. Bowman then fired two more shots outside the school before driving away, police said.

When officers tracked him down nearby, he exited his pickup truck and pointed the gun at an officer, who shot him in the chest, police said. Bowman was hospitalized in critical condition and has since recovered.

Bowman’s confrontation with police came 20 years after his father was fatally shot by officers while holding a gun during a mental health episode at the family home. A friend told The Associated Press in 2023 that Bowman was traumatized by his father’s death.

Bowman’s lawyer, Lauren Fuchs, said in court Friday that Bowman had been suffering from a mental health condition during the episode, but he is receiving treatment and is mentally competent.

Bowman had previously pleaded not guilty and was released on bond on charges including attempted second-degree murder, carrying a weapon on school property and aggravated burglary.

Leaders of Margolin School, which runs from pre-kindergarten through high school, have said safety measures installed over recent years deterred Bowman’s entry. The school has metal doors with electronic fob access, security cameras, and an emergency response system that allows police to be quickly notified of an active shooter.

Margolin strengthened security measures after the shooting, including changing locks and entry codes, and employing more guards on campus, school officials said.

In a statement, Brandy Flack, the school’s executive director, said “this is not the outcome we hoped for, but our focus remains on safety, healing, and moving forward as a community.”

During a bond hearing in January 2024, witnesses said an armed Bowman also went to the home and office of his former school basketball coach, and to another school, on the day of the shooting. Another witness testified that Bowman, holding a gun, broke into his house the same day.