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Man fires shots with AR-style rifle into Fox affiliate news station

The man then barricaded himself in a nearby restaurant and recorded himself on Facebook Live.
Man fires shots with AR-style rifle into Fox affiliate news station
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A man with an AR-style rifle fired shots into a Fox affiliate news station in Tennessee on Tuesday.

In a surveillance video, 26-year-old Jarrad Nathan can be seen trying to enter Fox13 Memphis, but is prevented from entering through a locked door. He then holds up a large firearm and proceeds to shoot toward two security guards sitting at a desk. When the glass door doesn't shatter, he forcefully tries pulling the door open with no success. 

"Our ballistic glass is designed to stop small-caliber bullets and deter any large-caliber ammunition. The glass did its job, deflecting the bullet downward," Fox13 said

Nathan then proceeded to Ubee's, a nearby restaurant, and barricaded himself inside while recording himself on Facebook Live, according to Fox13.

Memphis Police said Nathan has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. 

Before the shooting, Nathan had approached a FOX13 employee outside of the gate and wanted to talk, the network said. Then he showed the employee that he had a gun. 

Nathan told the employee that "God had sent him a message about the Tyre Nichols investigation and that he needed to go on-air to share this message," FOX13 said. 

Nathan's mother spoke with FOX13 and placed some blame on his father not being around to teach him to be a man. She said her son is "not a bad person at all." 

"[He's] one of the nicest and kindest you will meet. Everybody has another side to them," his mother told FOX13. "I think my son is crying out for attention because he needs some help. Anybody who would come to the news place and shoot at anybody, that is a cry for some help." 

Fox13 said Nathan's parents and pastor helped crisis negotiators.

SEE MORE: TV reporter, child killed in Florida shooting spree


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