Count me among those who would be having my guy move out ASAP. If you’re not sure this is a good idea, google recent gun deaths and see how many don’t make national news. There are pages and pages of them that a site (gun violence archive) keeps track of. There were two pages of incidents just from April 4th when I checked just now.
With the gun culture of the US and a dude who is showing signs, far better safe than sorry. Personally, I can understand why the management doesn’t want to get involved. Who would want to be on his target list? Since the police can’t do a thing they’re just more or less praying he doesn’t follow through on anything.
This is terrifying. Move your son right away. I would suggest contacting the Dean of Students regarding the situation as they may be able to dorm your son temporarily. Even though this is off campus, your son is there to attend college. You never know what someone can do to help. Student safety is a priority as no college wants a tragedy(off campus or on campus).
The Dean of Students helped my son with something that I had no idea could be done. Totally different situation but let’s me know they are there to help the students be successful and this unhealthy environment your son is in scares me. The answer could be yes we can help or no, there is nothing we can do. There is no harm in asking.
I would put everything in writing to the people you contact for documentation.
I would also suggest that you find another apartment complex for next year or at least research the policy of other management companies to see how they respond to similar situations.
Move your son out this morning. I don't care what classes he'll miss, this is far more important. And don't give the problem roommate any idea of where they're now living.
Make sure college security is aware of the issue. Being forewarned might help them keep kids at the school safe.
Make sure college admissions, and whoever is in charge of PR knows. Make sure the college president knows. And is aware that, God forbid this nut job uses that gun, you will forward copies of each and every communication and cry for help you've made to the media and to your lawyer. Document the life out of every action you've made to ensure the safety of your son and of the school community-- and cc the school and its president on each and every one of them. Make sure they realize that, should the unthinkable happen, there's no way they are going to be able to claim they didn't know.
Suggest that his current roommates do the same thing. So now the college president has 3 families worried and on board with letting the world know his school ignored this threat.
Just about every incident starts with warning signs and it sounds like this kid is exhibiting them. One thing lawful gun owners take very seriously is safety and not threatening with their weapon. Like others, I think there is enough concern to extract your kid from the situation. Don’t overreact and go flip out crazy. Just quietly get him an alternative place to live. As for the tape, threats, and behavior, tell as many “authorities” as possible – local police, county police, state police, etc. Maybe, hopefully, someone will at least investigate.
Get him out of there today. Has he any friends he can stay with, sleep on a sofa maybe, until you can make other arrangements? If he is legally allowed to have the gun there’s not much the landlord can do, I guess but, hey, background checks.
What I don’t understand is how a random roommate was assigned if this is off campus housing. IMO that makes who ever placed this person in the apartment responsible for finding a solution.
That said, top priority is getting your son to safety. Even if it’s renting a hotel room in the interim.
Some apartments near colleges have roommate matching services, where you agree to take as a roommate anyone else who signs up for the apartment. Both parties sign the lease.
Have you called the state police? It’s certainly their jurisdiction. He sounds like a danger to himself and others. You have no idea if the “everyone” he mentions in the video refers to the students in the apartment or the students on campus or both. I’d move my kid out immediately then contact the state police to file a report and let them decide.
I’d also send an email with the video to the Dean of Students and copy the head of Campus Security and the College President to let them know I was turning the video over to the authorities. Tell them that your son and his roommates fear for their safety because one of the college’s other students said he could “shoot everyone” then bought a shot gun and you want emergency housing for them. Stress that you fear for the safety of the student and the entire campus community too. Explain that you understand the response from campus security to your April 4th complaint is that the off campus apartment is outside their jurisdiction, but providing for the safety of current students is the responsibility of the college. Suggest that perhaps their legal team might have some recommendations. It seems reasonable, for instance, that reporting the threats to their state’s police force would be among the university’s responsibilities. Moving your son and his roommates also seems like a reasonable precaution. Then go to the college and start visiting the offices of any Dean you can find until someone helps you.
I think this student is a liability to the college. If you inform them of the threats, in writing, and create an outside report with the state police I believe you’ll get some action. I don’t think they’ll want to be in the position of explaining why they knew about the danger to their students but did nothing if things go south.
I would move him to an Airbnb for the rest of the semester. Store his furniture in a storage unit. Leave his desk with him if there is room. If housing isn’t supportive, better act on your own, to be safe. Return the keys to landlord personally, take pictures of the room to show condition upon move out for his security deposit.
Parts of this don’t make sense. Are all the roommates students enrolled in college? And the school isn’t interested in helping you? I don’t get that.
This young man sounds unstable, and there is risk of stirring him up if you make a fuss. I would quietly get my kid (and help the other roommates if needed) another place to stay til the end of the semester. Pressuring the college to come up with a dorm room is a great idea. Not officially move him out, even, just slip away and don’t be around this crazy guy. Once your DS graduates and can leave the area is a better time to fully publicize what happened.
You don’t want the crazy guy to take particular notice of your DS, or to have reason to have any sort of grudge or any feelings at all about him.
I think the idea of trying to move into dorms or university housing or an airbnb for the last month is good. That way there’s no lease. I think you’ll be out some money by leaving your place, but TO ME, it would be worth it. Let your son say his parents are making him move to his roommate; and get out of there.
We know of a place like that right next to our campus. Its just a housing/apartment complex - matches roommates - rent by the room, but they aren’t even always students. If there are no state gun laws, there’s probably nothing the complex can do. Taking a gun on campus is probably illegal though, right?
i’m sorry you and your son are in the is situation.
I just re-read this (thinking about it at work) and realized the crazy guy is graduating soon, not the OP’s son.
Hopefully the OP is too busy to update all of us concerned parents because he/she is moving their son, and talking to the dean of students.
Agree with everyone who says move him out. It’s not a hassle if he just takes one suitcase as if he’s going home for the weekend. He can keep most of his belongings at the apartment and just bring his essentials. He should not return to the apartment until crazy roommate is gone.
In addition to all the suggestions above, I’d also suggest calling the university’s risk-management office. Their job is to be vigilant about protecting against lawsuits. If mortal danger doesn’t rankle them, money will.
As the parent of a young adult with mental health issues, I would echo what drewsmom17 has said. This student is showing potential signs of a serious mental health issue. Rather than calling campus security, he needs to speak to someone in the school’s counseling center. They can provide advice for him, and possibly encourage the student to come in for an evaluation. If things are dire enough they can contact the local police who can compel him to go in for an evaluation. If he is unstable, you don’t want to do anything that is going to trigger him to do something impulsive - instead you want to get people who can provide appropriate help involved.