{
  "id": "2019-05-08-jefferson-state-community-college-machete-shooting",
  "slug": "jefferson-state-community-college-machete-shooting-2019-05-08",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Jefferson State Community College",
    "shortName": "Jeff State",
    "state": "AL",
    "type": "community-college",
    "alertSystemName": "JSCC Alert",
    "enrollment": 8000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2019-05-08",
    "type": "police-activity",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Campus officer shoots man refusing to drop a machete; shelter order issued",
    "headlinePublic": "Campus officer shoots man refusing to drop a machete; shelter order issued",
    "summary": "On the morning of May 8, 2019, a [Jefferson State Community College police officer shot a man wielding a machete](https://www.wbrc.com/2019/05/08/police-person-shot-jefferson-state-birmingham-campus/) on the Carson Road campus in Birmingham after the man arrived by city bus and refused to drop the weapon. The college [told students to shelter](https://patch.com/alabama/trussville/shooting-jeff-states-campus-puts-school-lockdown) as the danger was identified near the Lurleen Wallace Building, and the man was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.",
    "outcome": "The man was transported to UAB Hospital with what the Trussville Tribune reported as life-threatening injuries; the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation took over the officer-involved shooting investigation. No students or staff were hurt.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 1
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday morning, just before 9:00 AM CDT on May 8, 2019",
      "channel": "facebook",
      "verbatimText": "Danger identified at the Jefferson Campus! Seek immediate shelter in classrooms or offices! Remain inside until all clear is given.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/jeff-state-returns-to-normal-operations-after-officer-involved-shooting/",
      "sourceDescription": "CBS42 (Birmingham) and Trussville Tribune quote this as the verbatim Jefferson State Facebook post issued just before 9:00 AM CDT on May 8, 2019",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text confirmed: CBS42 (Birmingham) and the Trussville Tribune both quote this as the exact text of the Jefferson State Facebook post issued just before 9:00 AM CDT on May 8, 2019.",
        "The alert was posted to Facebook rather than sent as an SMS -- a common channel for community colleges that have active social media followings but may not have all students enrolled in text alert systems.",
        "The phrasing 'Danger identified at the Jefferson Campus' (without specifying a building) is broader than the subsequent news coverage that located the incident near the Lurleen Wallace Building and its parking lot."
      ],
      "characterCount": 131
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Wednesday late morning, approximately 11:00 AM CDT on May 8, 2019",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from local coverage that the campus was secured after the shooting",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "Carson Road is Jefferson State's main Birmingham campus. According to [WBRC](https://www.wbrc.com/2019/05/08/police-person-shot-jefferson-state-birmingham-campus/), an altercation involving an 'edged weapon' led to an officer-involved shooting on the morning of May 8, 2019. A [bus driver alerted police](https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/machete-wielding-man-shot-by-jefferson-state-campus-police/) that a man was riding a Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (MAX) bus with a machete; when the bus stopped in a campus parking lot, the man got off still carrying the weapon and was confronted by a campus officer. [Patch reported](https://patch.com/alabama/trussville/shooting-jeff-states-campus-puts-school-lockdown) the college told students to seek shelter after danger was identified near the Lurleen Wallace Building. The [Trussville Tribune](https://www.trussvilletribune.com/2019/05/08/police-1-man-shot-at-jefferson-county-community-college-after-brandishing-a-machete/) reported the man was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries; the case was handed to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation. The episode illustrates how a community college with an armed campus police force handled a fast-moving, weapon-in-hand encounter that began on public transit and ended in its own parking lot.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The threat arrived by public transit: a MAX bus driver radioed ahead before the man, carrying a machete, exited at a Jefferson State parking lot",
    "Jefferson State's emergency notification was a shelter order keyed to a specific building (Lurleen Wallace), not a campus-wide active-shooter alert",
    "The only person injured was the subject himself, shot by a campus police officer; no students or staff were hurt",
    "Because it was an officer-involved shooting, jurisdiction passed to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation rather than the campus department"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Altercation involving 'edged weapon' leads to officer-involved shooting at Jefferson State - WBRC",
      "url": "https://www.wbrc.com/2019/05/08/police-person-shot-jefferson-state-birmingham-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Jeff State Police Shoot Man Carrying Machete On Campus - Patch",
      "url": "https://patch.com/alabama/trussville/shooting-jeff-states-campus-puts-school-lockdown",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Machete-Wielding Man Shot by Jefferson State Campus Police - Campus Safety Magazine",
      "url": "https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/machete-wielding-man-shot-by-jefferson-state-campus-police/",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police: 1 man shot at Jefferson State Community College after brandishing a machete - The Trussville Tribune",
      "url": "https://www.trussvilletribune.com/2019/05/08/police-1-man-shot-at-jefferson-county-community-college-after-brandishing-a-machete/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "CBS42 (Birmingham) and Trussville Tribune quote this as the verbatim Jefferson State Facebook post issued just before 9:",
      "url": "https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/jeff-state-returns-to-normal-operations-after-officer-involved-shooting/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "officer-involved-shooting",
    "edged-weapon",
    "machete",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "alabama",
    "community-college",
    "birmingham"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-29",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}