Louisiana gym teacher 'threatened to shoot' third graders and warned that some students 'would not survive'

A Louisiana elementary school gym teacher was arrested after threatening to shoot multiple students.

70-year-old Robert Mitcham was charged with terrorizing third graders after allegedly telling a classroom at Downsville Community Charter School that he “ had bullets for his gun and he would bring it to the school and shoot,” and that “some of the students would not survive,” the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release posted to Facebook.

Police were alerted of the incident after a concerned parent contacted authorities on Tuesday. The parent said that Mitcham became angry during class and allegedly told his third grade students that he “had bullets for his gun and he would bring it to the school and shoot." He added that “some of the students would not survive."

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The parent told authorities that their child was scared and so were other students in the class. Investigators said they learned that Mitcham allegedly also told the students that there was “too many of y’all to get rid of,” and he “only had six bullets in his gun.”

But Mitcham changed his tune when an older student told another teacher, apologizing to the students. Mitcham told deputies he wasn't actually threatening the students but felt overwhelmed and wanted the children to settle down.

Mitcham was arrested on Thursday. His bond was set at $15,000. A judge set a bond condition barring Mitcham from returning to the campus, pending the outcome of the case.

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Sheriff Dusty Gates reminded parents, students and teachers, “If you see something, say something.”

“DCCS has two school resource officers on campus every day,” he wrote in a statement. “Please utilize these officers to discuss any concerns, especially those of planned acts of violence. Additionally, anonymous tips can be submitted online via the Safe Schools Louisiana app or website, the UPSO app, or through Crime Stoppers of Union Parish.”

Tony Cain, the principal of Downsville Community Charter School, said the school isn’t legally allowed to publicly comment on the situation. “However, we do want to make it clear that the allegations by the parent reporting to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office and those in social media are NOT consistent with the first-hand accounts provided to school staff from the students who actually witnessed the incident. We feel confident that the students were truthful and accurate with their accounting of the incident,” he said.