U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino says that the indictment and conviction of 27-year-old Michael Lee for a mass shooting threat at the University of Arizona illustrates their work to curtail threats and gender-based violence.
“In an era of unprecedented attacks on women's rights, we see more and more threats directed against women,” Restaino said. “We can put people in prison on the back end and work towards holistic conditions of supervision post-incarceration in an effort to deter this behavior, but we also just need some better role models and more life coaches and other interveners for those who threaten gender-based violence.”
Other efforts at curtailing such violence include collaborating with local government partners and encouraging the community to report concerning activities or threats to local or federal law enforcement.
The efforts also represent progress on the university’s initiative to better collaborate with law enforcement partners following the 2022 on-campus murder of Professor Thomas Meixner.
Restaino says officials continue to be busy investigating threats made to individuals and the community.
“We continue to be busy all over the map in Arizona,” he said. “It's the election threats, it's the school threats. So we have more cases than we've ever had before, and I do think some of that is people coming forward and saying, ‘We're not going to tolerate this behavior.’”
A tip from a community member helped lead to the indictment of 27-year-old Michael Lee for a mass shooting threat at the University of Arizona. Tuesday, Lee was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Community members can report concerning activities or threats by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or to their local law enforcement agency.
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