Brother of Late NFL Player Aaron Hernandez Arrested for Allegedly Planning School Shootings
Josh Reynolds/AP
The older brother of late football player Aaron Hernandez has been arrested after he was suspected to be planning multiple school shootings in the New England area, TMZ reported Tuesday.
The Bristol Police Department claimed Dennis “D.J.” Hernandez showed signs in July of being “gravely disabled and a danger to society.” Police also stated in documents that several people came forward and said he’d been “acting erratically.”
According to those individuals, D.J. sent a series of “alarming” text messages, including one that read, “We’re taking lives if shit isn’t paid up. It’s been years in planning just taking notes, names and locations. They talked their way into this and it’s almost point game.”
In another instance, a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend said that she let D.J. use her car on July 7 to appear for his scheduled court date. Instead, she alleged, he drove to the campuses of the University of Connecticut and Brown University and “went into a number of classrooms and buildings.” When informed of this, another person told police they believed he was there to plan potential shootings.
On July 19, police arrived at D.J.’s residence. He claimed he was armed and threatened to kill the officers there. Even when it appeared the standoff was over, D.J. approached police with his arms outstretched and telling them to shoot him. Police then tased him and took him to a nearby hospital.
At the hospital, D.J. continued to make threats, claiming he would kill “anyone who profited off of his brother Aaron.” Police said he mentioned ESPN.
In 2013, Aaron was charged with the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd. He was found guilty in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. While in prison, he was charged with a double homicide in 2012. Aaron was acquitted of these killings but died days later in his cell from an apparent suicide.
After being released from the hospital, D.J. was detained at the Bristol Police Department. He’s scheduled to appear in court next week.
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