(NewsNation) — A professor at Hunter College in New York was fired after confronting a reporter from the New York Post with a machete. The incident occurred shortly after a video emerged of the professor yelling and cursing at students, which initially did not lead to her dismissal.
The professor, identified as Shellyne Rodriguez, had a history of controversial behavior. She had previously been involved in a confrontation with pro-life students on campus but still retained her job at the college.
The New York Post had sent a reporter and a photographer to interview Rodriguez about her previous controversies. The intention was to understand her side of the story and the motivations behind her actions.
The final straw came when Rodriguez wielded a machete and targeted the reporter, Reuven Fenton. While Fett was unharmed, the incident raised serious concerns about the professor’s actions and safety on campus.
Fenton recounted the experience during an appearance on “On Balance With Leland Vittert.”
“I’ve gotten a lot of dirty looks in my career, OK?” he said. “But a machete was a first for me, or really any weapon.”
Fenton believed Rodriguez was attempting to intimidate him rather than causing physical harm.
“What I was thinking was that she was trying to intimidate me for whatever reason,” he said. “I didn’t believe that she ever really had any intentions of cutting me … I think she was trying to make a statement.”
Fenton said Rodriguez’s life was characterized by dramatic gestures through her art and activism but still expressed surprise at her wielding a weapon.
“On some level, this is a woman who lives in extremes,” he said. “So for her, I mean, my interpretation of events, in hindsight is that she (thought) this was an acceptable sort of way of saying, ‘Get away.'”
Hunter College promptly terminated Rodriguez’s employment following the incident, and the video of the attack quickly circulated online.
In response to her dismissal, Rodriguez claimed that the school had succumbed to pressure from racist white nationalists and misogynists.
Fenton said he was told that she will be meeting with police in the near future and that there will be paperwork filed.
“I think comes down to me whether I will will press charges,” ” he said. “Which I was asked before, I’m still somewhat undecided.”
Fenton said he is a bit torn about it but, “she’ll definitely go through the system on some level with law enforcement.
