JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A University of North Florida professor, who was terminated for telling students he would “shoot them,” says his words were misinterpreted and that he wants his job back.
Former visiting English instructor Jacob McElroy told News4JAX he regrets how his comments were perceived and described the situation as a “misunderstanding.”
“I’d like to reiterate that I do think this is a misunderstanding,” McElroy said. “And just as I can admit to having made a mistake in my approach that day, I do think there’s ample opportunity for the UNF administration to admit that terminating me is a mistake.”
McElroy said the comments came during a class discussion following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. He said he was taking a “dramatic, ironic approach” to encourage students to think critically about public discourse in America.
According to McElroy’s notice of termination from Provost Karen Patterson, the university concluded that he made threatening statements during a class session on Sept. 11, 2025 — one day after an incident of gun violence.
“You are being terminated for incompetence,” Patterson wrote. “On September 11, 2025, a day after tragic gun violence, you repeatedly told your class that you were going to shoot them. In one instance, you directly told a student that you were going to shoot that particular student for asking a question. You also told the class you had access to guns and were ‘crazy’ and that you would ‘f—‘n shoot everyone.’”
University officials said the decision to terminate McElroy came after a “thorough investigation” and complaints from students. In a statement, UNF said McElroy’s continued presence on campus “would adversely affect the functions of the university and jeopardize student safety and welfare.”
McElroy told News4JAX he never intended to threaten or harm anyone.
“The idea that I would be a jeopardy to the safety and welfare of my students is so deeply hurtful to me,” he said. “I really had to put that aside for a couple of days before I started thinking about my response.”
He said he was portraying a “manic professor character” during the discussion — an exaggerated persona meant to spark conversation — and acknowledged that the approach was a mistake.
“I’m so sorry that this affected you,” McElroy said. “Something that should have been a conversation has instead become the news.”
McElroy said he has started the appeals process in hopes of being reinstated at UNF and is open to apologizing directly to his students.
“I would do just about anything to fix this,” he said. “I would love to apologize in person or class-wide.”
UNF’s provost office and public relations department declined to comment, citing personnel confidentiality.