A supporter of the Confederate and Mississippi state flags entered a Walmart in Tupelo Nov. 1 and detonated a homemade explosive device to express his disagreement with the international decision to remove Confederate flag-related items from its shelves.
No one was injured at the location of the incident. Marshall Leonard, a 61-year-old Tupelo native, confessed to the crime. He could now be facing life in prison and is currently being kept at Lee County Adult Detention Center with a bail of $150,000.
(Students gather on campus on Oct. 20 for the state flag rally. | Photo by: Timothy Steenwyk)
Leonard was on campus on Oct. 20, the day of the ASB Senate voted to remove the Mississippi state flag from campus. He arrived at the circle in his vehicle that morning and displayed multiple Confederate and state flags atop poles attached to his car.
The vehicle also displayed multiple “Boycott Walmart” stickers, an initiative that Leonard has supposedly been involved with for about 20 years, according to reporting done by msnews.com.
The University Police Department directed him to the area in front of Fulton Chapel, according to Danny Blanton, the public relations director for the University.
“He stayed there for a brief period of time, complied with all of their requests, never showed any signs of trouble and then left,” Blanton said.
Crowds of students accumulated around Leonard at the Circle and in front of Fulton Chapel, asking him questions and posing arguments for and against his cause.
Many students expressed concern for campus safety because of the short time between his presence on campus and his attempted bombing.
“It is a bit disturbing that somebody like that was on our campus,” Adam Lewis, freshman political science major, said. “However, I am just glad that nothing happened here and that nobody got hurt at the bombing.”
Blanton said the University does not necessarily share this concern regarding the incident, pointing out how the situation was handled aptly by the University police to lower any chance of danger for students.
“UPD kept an eye on him the entire time he was here,” Blanton said. “I think, if anything, that should give students comfort. When he was here before, he wasn’t here without our knowing he was here. We were able to monitor him, and watch him, and make sure nothing bad happened.”
Many students agreed, finding it difficult to bar the campus from dangerous individuals all together.
“It’s kind of scary, but I don’t think you can prevent that type of person from coming on campus,” Hayden Benge freshman journalism major, said. “It would be hard to try and stop all of that.”
“Anyone could turn around and pull out a gun.”
Although no specific precautions or changes have been put into place, Blanton said the University is aware of the increased threat to security posed by the controversy regarding the state flag and is confident safety will not be compromised as a result.
“We will remain vigilant,” Blanton said. “We are confident that we have the law enforcement presence to continue to do that. You might say we have a heightened awareness of what’s going on on campus right now.”
In addition, the University encouraged students to report any suspicious activity they see to help ensure a safe and secure campus for all.
