Lubbock Man set mother on fire before attacking charter school staff
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
Lubbock police say they arrested a man Monday morning who set his mother on fire before attacking a teacher and superintendent at the nearby Rise Academy charter school.
No children in the school were harmed, school staff say, and classes will continue on schedule.
Police say George James Bradley, 32, entered the school with a knife shortly before 9 a.m. Monday where he forced a third grade teacher into a small office. Bradley told the teacher he had just killed his mother and said he would kill her, too.
Superintendent Richard Baumgartner, founder of the charter school, broke down the locked door and attempted to distract the man. Baugartner received minor injuries before police arrived on the scene with guns drawn. Bradley dropped his knife and was arrested. The teacher escaped unharmed.
A few minutes earlier, emergency crews responded to a call that a woman was on fire at the nearby Stonehollow Apartments, 1510 East Cornell, Apartment 524. Neighbors helped put out the fire. The woman, Bertha Bradley, was transported to the University Medical Center in critical but stable condition with extensive burns from the waist up.
George Bradley is being charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault on his mother. The investigation is ongoing and further charges are pending.