Black student Called Mississippi State to Ask About His Scholarship. Then Aid office goes on high alert as he’s treated like a bomb threat suspect

A 21-year-old Mississippi State University junior was arrested after a financial aid worker accused him of a bomb threat, his lawyer said. Harry Daniels said Zayden Leonard had called the office to try to fix a problem with an academic scholarship he needed for the fall semester.

Daniels told Atlanta Black Star that Leonard believed the employee was incorrect and asked to speak with someone else. Leonard said he was heading to the office so he could talk to a person face to face, the attorney said.

Daniels said Leonard did speak with that person and that nothing unusual appeared to take place during the visit. Shortly after that, Leonard was ordered to put his phone down as several officers moved in to arrest him, the lawyer said.

Lawyer recounts campus police response after employee report

Daniels said Leonard was in the financial aid office waiting for help when at least six campus police officers entered. They told him to stand and placed his hands in cuffs behind his back, the attorney said. The detention lasted under an hour.

Officers later told Leonard that a financial aid employee had called them and claimed he had threatened to blow up the office, Daniels said. He noted that an accusation of that type could carry up to ten years in federal prison. He also said the arrest left Leonard “shell-shocked.” The student denies making any threats against anyone, the lawyer said. This is a problem that extends beyond campus security to policing, such as when a Black man went to the police after being falsely accused of stealing a phone.

Daniels described Leonard as a model student with no prior legal trouble. He said Leonard finished high school as a standout honors student at Shades Valley High School in Irondale, Alabama, and now studies biology at MSU. Daniels said Leonard takes part in ten campus groups, one of them a four-day camp for incoming freshmen.

“As a father, an attorney and an American, this is terrifying,” Daniels said in a statement after the student’s arrest. “Zayden Leonard is everything a parent could want. He’s smart, hard-working, respectful and genuinely kind. He did everything right but thrust in a dangerous situation could have cost him his future, his freedom and his life because some employee called police with this ridiculous lie.”

Daniels told Atlanta Black Star that the university has not brought criminal charges or campus discipline against Leonard. He said his firm is still looking into the matter and working through the legal questions around it.

Daniels said the team still has to decide how to seek redress and did not rule out a civil lawsuit against MSU. “People who weaponize law enforcement to show power should be held accountable for their actions,” Daniels told Mississippi Today. “The situation could have ended up deadly.”

Mississippi State University Public Affairs Director Sid Salter said in a statement, “The university has a responsibility to maintain a safe environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors. When concerns are reported involving potential threats to campus personnel or operations, the university follows safety and reporting procedures.”

“The university cooperates with appropriate law enforcement authorities while also ensuring that students have access to applicable university resources and support services,” Salter added. The university’s statement on safety procedures comes amid broader concerns about how Black students are treated, such as when a 19-year-old autistic Black student was dragged from a McDonald’s toilet by a Texas cop.

Salter and the university reportedly declined further comment on the episode or what followed, pointing to ongoing legal and disciplinary processes. Campus police said questions about the case should go to the school’s communications office.