Man threatens mass shooting at UM and a Miami middle school, cops say. He’s facing charge
A former University of Miami student is facing a charge of making a written threat after police say he sent an email detailing plans to commit a mass shooting at the University of Miami and Shenandoah Middle School — in addition to burning parts of Miami International Airport.
Kenny Espaillat was arrested Friday and the 21-year-old bonded out of jail the following day, court records show. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7.
Armando Hernandez, Espaillat’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
According to a police report, Espaillat sent an email Jan. 1 on his cellphone to Canes Wear, 2511 South University Dr., regarding his plan.
“Is dying good?” Espaillat wrote in the email, which was included in the police report. “When we first listen the word die, we get scared. However, with all the suffering in this world, I have concluded that dying is something good... I will begin my dream with a mass shooting at the University of Miami.”
Espaillat, who according to police withdrew from UM on March 18, 2021, said in the email he will begin shooting at the school’s Whitten University Center and then target other areas including the cafeterias and gym. He added that he would then move on to nearby Shenandoah Middle School. Additionally, he said that he wanted to “burn down some part of international airport,” because he “hates flying.”
According to the arrest report, Miami-Dade Schools Police alerted Miami police about the email. It remains unclear how UM found out about the email. Canes Wear could not be reached Monday night.
Officers learned that Espaillat arrived at Miami International Airport on Jan. 1 on an American Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic. Police tried to find him at an address listed for the flight, but they didn’t find him that day, according to the report.
The next day, Jan. 2, Miami police officers and FBI agents found him inside the apartment in the 300 block of Southwest 30th Road. An interview was conducted in his bedroom, according to the report. Espaillat admitted to law enforcement that “he sent the email because he was scared,” an officer wrote in the report.
Police did not say whether weapons were found. Espaillat was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for an evaluation. It wasn’t until Friday, Jan. 7, that he was taken into custody.
A spokeswoman for UM referred questions to police. Miami-Dade County Public Schools also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Miami Herald staff writer Omar Rodriguez Ortiz contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
