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NYC Professor Suspended After Allegedly Threatening To Shoot Entire Media Class 'In The Head'
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 26, 2019
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Wagner College
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 26, 2019
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A Wagner College professor has been suspended and banned from the Staten Island campus after allegedly telling students he wanted to shoot another group of his students.
Law enforcement sources told NBC that psychology professor Richard Brower, 77, went on a tirade about one of his other classes to a group of students during class on Tuesday. "My media class is hideous," he allegedly said. “If I had a gun, I would shoot every one of them in the head.”
The Post adds that after saying this, Brower then singled out one of his students, asking, “Are you in my media class?” When the student said they were, he allegedly responded, “Watch out. I’m locked and loaded.”
A student in the class quickly notified campus security officers, who suspended Brower, escorted him off campus and searched his office. The campus apparently didn't notify the police until several hours later on Tuesday. They then sent an email to students today, saying, “according to the accounts of several students, a professor made disturbing remarks of a violent nature yesterday afternoon during a class.”
The students reported his remarks to our Public Safety office. The college took immediate action, suspending the professor, escorting him off campus and banning him indefinitely. The college also called the New York Police Department; together, they are investigating the matter,” the email continued. “We were able to deal swiftly with this potential threat because students immediately came forward. Wagner College takes very seriously the safety and well-being of its students, faculty and staff. It takes all of us, working together, to keep Wagner College safe.
A police source told SI Advance that while the NYPD is investigating the incident, there is "nothing to indicate that he had the means to carry it out.” He could still face charges for the threat.
Bower has been teaching at the school for more than 25 years, and currently teaches three courses called “Psychology of Creativity,” “Psychology of Media” and “Theories of Personality.” Based on reviews on the dubious Ratemyprofessors website, Bower "isn't terrible" but can be "so rude" and "extremely boring."
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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