Davie County Teen Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for Threatening Mass Shootings at Universities

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - On June 9, 2026, Michael Zechariah Tedder, age 19, of Advance, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for calling universities and threatening to commit mass shootings. Tedder appeared before Judge David A. Bragdon and was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to court documents, on September 12, 2025, Tedder called the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of North Texas, and University of Louisville and made specific threats of violence. Tedder threatened to "slaughter" and "massacre" victims with a firearm and referenced "watch[ing] them choke on their [own] blood." Comments by counsel at Tedder's sentencing hearing referenced Tedder's significant history of mental health issues. Tedder made the threatening calls after seeing media and online reporting about individuals disparaging Charlie Kirk following Kirk's assassination.

In March 2026, Tedder pled guilty to communicating a threat in interstate commerce in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 875(c).

Dan Bishop, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Davie County Sheriff's Office their response and investigation.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Greensboro Resident Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Iverson prosecuted the case.

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