Employees told investigators they understood the statement as a threat to shoot the crew, and several said they were uncomfortable returning to work. The following day, police said, Downing called the assistant foreman and again warned of violence if he were fired, this time demanding $1,000 from each employee. The foreman notified the company president, who terminated Downing by text. Citing employee safety, the president limited work on Aug. 24 to three workers unloading materials. No other scheduled work was performed, costing the contractor a full day of labor, according to the affidavit.

Downing is accused of a first-degree terrorist threat. The allegations have not been proven in court. 

The case highlights the need for roofing employers to have clear procedures for handling escalating workplace disputes, employee threats and reports involving weapons, particularly when supervisors must make immediate decisions about whether to suspend work or remove crews from a site.

Gibbs, founder of Trusted Remodel Advisor LLC and RemodX, describes himself as an architectural engineer with more than 50 years of residential design and construction experience who has completed FEMA active-shooter and de-escalation training.

He said contractors should have a written workplace-violence policy that addresses employees, subcontractors, customers, weapons, threats, stalking and retaliation, along with a clear reporting and response chain.

"Construction supervisors are trained to stop work when a scaffold, roof edge or electrical condition could kill someone," Gibbs said. "A credible threat of gun violence deserves the same immediate stop-work authority."

The biggest mistake, he said, is waiting for an explicit threat before taking concerns seriously. Gibbs pointed to the FBI's Pathway to Violence, which describes a progression that can include grievance, violent ideation, research and planning, preparation and eventual attack.

"Not every person follows every step, but contractors must train employees to recognize and privately report observable behavior before it reaches the final stages," he said.

Gibbs recommends confidential reporting channels, clearly assigned responsibilities for contacting law enforcement and evacuating a site, and advance relationships with employment counsel and qualified threat-assessment professionals.

He also said employers should plan terminations and suspensions carefully because disciplinary action can intensify an existing grievance. When a weapon is reported on or near a jobsite, Gibbs said employees should not confront, search or attempt to disarm the individual. Instead, supervisors should call 911, move workers and occupants away from the danger and account for the crew at a predetermined location. He said contractors should stop work immediately when there is a reported weapon, a specific threat, evidence of preparation or surveillance, an unaccounted-for threatening worker or any situation a supervisor cannot confidently control.

"One lost production day is immaterial when the downside is a dead employee, customer or bystander," Gibbs said.

If a worker threatens co-workers, Gibbs recommends ending the interaction, separating those involved and preserving the exact words used along with texts, voicemails, photographs, witness names and a timeline of events. A specific, credible or imminent threat should be reported to law enforcement.

For contractors, Gibbs said policies and training need to be in place before an incident.

Foreman can receive training on such situations, but without knowing everyone’s background, it’s important to focus on the behavior they and other crewmembers can see, said Luciano Perez, safety director with KPost Company in Dallas.

“A foreman may not know an employee's criminal or personal history, and they shouldn't be expected to. What they can recognize is current behavior: anger, refusal to work, aggressive language, threats, intimidation, or escalating confrontation,” Perez said.

If an employee becomes confrontational, Perez said remove them from the situation or from the field altogether, and get management involved early. He also said, when possible, send the employee to the office rather than having the foreman handle a disciplinary confrontation on the jobsite. Foreman and superintendents are not supposed to handle these situations alone.

Once the situation escalates with a weapon, the situation turns to an emergency, and law enforcement needs to be involved, Perez said.

“The moment the employee pulled out a gun and made threats, the situation changed completely,” he explained. “At that point, the objective is not to fire him, argue with him, or tell him to go home.”