Iowa City Police: Nebraska Man Staying at Shelter House Arrested for Making Campus Shooting Threats

A man from Lincoln, Neb. is facing a felony terrorism threat charge after he allegedly sent multiple texts to a friend bragging of a future shooting at a college.

According to an Iowa City Police criminal complaint, this morning at 12:54 a.m., Iowa City Police responded to the Shelther House homeless shelter in iowa City for the report of a man making threats of a shooting at a college in Lincoln, Neb., home of the University of Nebraska. 

There they arrested Justin Neil Coleman, 24, of Lincoln, Neb. who is accused of sending several text messages to acquaintances back in Nebraska from late Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning threatening to kill an unnamed woman and to kill additional people at a college.

The texts stated: "I am going to shoot up this school tomorrow. Ready to die and fully arm." and "U will see on the news that the KKK cops killed me." 

The Lincoln Police pinged the phone that had made the text, finding it at 429 Southgate Avenue, the address of Shelter House. Iowa City Police then found Coleman, the alleged owner of the phone and sender of the texts, coming out of the bathroom with the phone in his possession, and placed him under arrest.

Coleman also swore angrily at police as he was being arrested, according to complaints, waking others who had been sleeping as his voice was allegedly audible throughout the building, according to the complaint.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Vicki Lalla said that police are still looking into the nature of the threat, how serious it may have been, and how Coleman came to be situated at the Iowa City Shelter House.

"Investigation into this incident is on-going and we are taking steps to make sure notifications are made to appropriate institutions, law enforcement agencies and the public as well as addressing possible mental health issues affecting Coleman," said Lalla in an e-mail to Iowa City Patch.

Coleman was charged with threat of terrorism, a Class D felony, along with a simple misdemeanor charge of causing loud and raucous noise. He is currently in the Johnson County Jail according to online court records.