SAN ANTONIO – A man allegedly threatened to “shoot up everyone” at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, according to a San Antonio Police Department incident report.
William Blades Reed Jr., 46, was arrested Monday and charged with make a terroristic threat, Bexar County jail records show. The charge is considered a third-degree felony.
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A San Antonio police officer responded to the hospital just after 3 p.m. Monday during a mental health call. Hospital staff located Reed and placed him in an emergency room prior to the officer’s arrival, the report said.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the SAPD officer spoke to a Veterans Affairs (VA) police officer who let them know about an email from a woman who said Reed had threatened to “shoot up” the hospital and take his own life in the hospital’s parking lot if his son was not present.
The woman is a veterans case worker with the office of Congressman Michael Cloud, according to the incident report. Cloud represents Texas’ 27th Congressional District, which includes areas in and around Corpus Christi and Victoria.
In a subsequent conversation with SAPD, Reed told the officer he was not on his medication because it causes him pain and suicidal thoughts.
Reed had allegedly been calling Cloud’s office to express his frustration with the hospital.
The officer, according to the report, called an SAPD detective to discuss the case.
Talking to the congressman’s office directly
The SAPD officer and detective later called Cloud’s veterans case worker on the phone.
In the SAPD report, the woman said she spoke with Reed multiple times before. However, on Monday afternoon, she said he became more than upset with the hospital’s service.
According to the veterans case worker, Reed allegedly said he “might come in there with a gun and shoot up everyone and go see everyone who hasn’t helped him (Reed), or go into the VA and take everyone with him.”
After Reed was denied services at the hospital, the report said he contacted Cloud’s office to report threats in hopes of having services granted to him.
The veterans case worker believed Reed would carry out the threat at the hospital, which prompted her to contact Veterans Affairs police.
Reed was later taken into custody and booked into the Bexar County jail on a $75,000, records show. As of Wednesday afternoon, Reed remains in custody.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, call 988 or text TALK to 741-741.
You can also reach out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) or the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) at 210-223-7233 (SAFE) or 800-316-9241. You can also text NAMI to 741-741.