Iowa Amazon Employee Arrested Due to Gun Threats

UPDATE: 7/7/22, 8:47 A.M.:

KCCI now confirms the arrest of 20-year-old Jordan Laurie. A law enforcement official said Laurie, a former Amazon employee was threatening workers at the Bondurant facility, at one point allegedly saying "several ambulances would be needed because it's going to get bloody" after being contacted by the HR department about personal attacks.

An anonymous employee reported receiving the following text message from the company:

Amazon sent a text message Wednesday morning to all their employees at the Bondurant site saying in part: "Your safety is our top priority, and we are working to increase security and police presence on site as an extra safety precaution."

But this employee also said those measures weren't yet in place by shift change the next morning at 7 a.m., keeping him still feeling unsafe.

The building was evacuated around 6 p.m. Tuesday and just before 11 p.m. Laurie was apprehended and charged with first-degree harassment. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

[ORIGINAL STORY: 7/6/22, 10:20 A.M.]

An Iowa Amazon facility had to be evacuated Tuesday night due to "threats" from an employee, according to KCCI.

The Polk County Sheriff's office said they arrested 20-year-old Jordan Laurie around 10:45 p.m. at his home in Johnston, after receiving reports earlier in the night, around 6 p.m. that he had made threats to bring a gun back to the facility.

Amazon confirmed to KCCI that Laurie is a former employee. At the time of the threat, employees were reportedly put on lockdown, then sent home a few hours later. For its part, Amazon is putting extra security in place at the facility today (Wednesday) and offering counseling to employees who may need it.

WeAreIowa notes that Laurie now faces two counts of first-degree harassment.

This Amazon facility opened in Bondurant less than two years ago. A Davenport facility that was set to open later this year, expanding the company's Eastern Iowa presence, is now being delayed to 2024, according to WQAD.

We will post updates on this developing story as they become available.

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