(The Center Square) – A college in Louisville has placed an instructor on unpaid leave after posting on social media he wished the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump succeeded.
“If you’re gonna shoot, man, don’t miss,” John James wrote in all caps on a post discovered Sunday by Libsoftiktok. The statement was made above a screenshot of a news story on the Saturday shooting during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that left the former president and current Republican nominee injured after a bullet grazed his ear.
James, who graduated from Bellarmine in 2009, had previously posted that he had accepted a full-time faculty position at his alma mater. On Monday, the private Catholic institution issued a statement on its social media platforms stating that it had placed an employee on “immediate unpaid leave” after it became aware of “offensive and unacceptable” comments.
“Words and actions that condone violence are unacceptable and contrary to our values, which call for respecting the intrinsic value and dignity of every individual,” the statement read. “We strive to create an inclusive community that welcomes all and models a spirit of goodwill.”
While James still appears in the university’s online directory, Bellarmine removed a web page on him as a featured alum and an article about him published on the school’s Facebook page.
Later Monday evening, the university evacuated its library and dining hall after receiving a bomb threat. It ended the order an hour later after school officials determined the threat was “not credible.”
A spokesperson for the school told Louisville’s WDRB-TV that officials believe the threat was related to the offensive post.
Trump officially became the Republican nominee Monday when the party began its convention in Milwaukee. He appeared briefly alongside Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, whom he named as his running mate for vice president. His right ear, the top of which was grazed by a bullet, remained bandaged.
The assassination attempt did claim the life of one person attending the rally. Corey Comperatore, 50, died after being struck by gunfire. The former fire chief and Army Reserve veteran was covering his family at the time.
Secret Service agents returned fire and killed Thomas Matthew Crooks, the alleged attacker. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
