A former graduate student from Southern Methodist University has been taken into custody and is now facing felony charges after allegedly making threatening statements toward the university’s president and faculty members.
Brian Jackel, 39, was taken into custody at his residence in Duncanville following an investigation conducted by SMU officials and local law enforcement agencies.
The arrest was made based on information provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which reported credible threats apparently made by Jackel during his time as a patient at a VA hospital in Bonham.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Jackel watched news coverage of the recent mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets and expressed his desire to kill SMU’s president and various faculty members.
The document also claims that Jackel planned to orchestrate a meeting with the school staff, during which he intended to carry out a shooting spree before ending his own life through what he referred to as “suicide by cop.”
In addition to the threats, Jackel allegedly made disturbing remarks about constructing homemade explosive devices and hinted at the presence of a hidden arsenal of weapons, including a pipe bomb, within his residence.
The SMU Police Department collaborated with state and federal law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough search of Jackel’s house.
While the results of the search remain undisclosed, authorities took the threats seriously and responded promptly.
SMU officials have not released any official statements regarding the incident.
Jackel has been charged with making a terroristic threat and is presently detained at the Dallas County Jail.
SMU, like most colleges and universities, has its own security and police teams patrolling university grounds. These officers supplement the Dallas police force, which is currently facing a staffing shortage.
With only around 3,100 officers, the Dallas Police Department is suffering from a shortfall of around 500 officers, said Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata to the Dallas Observer.
As of May 1 — the most recent crime data publicly available due to the alleged ransomware attack — the City of Dallas had seen a roughly 20% increase in murders in 2023 compared to last year.
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