Student arrested after alleged threat to stage school shooting

Update: Columbus Police have released additional details concerning the 15-year-old student's alleged threat on social media to stage a school shooting.

In an incident report, officials said the threat was posted from the student's home Monday between 9 and 11 p.m. A school security guard was informed about it the following morning, police added.

Original Story: A Muscogee County high school student was arrested Tuesday morning for allegedly making a threat on social media to stage a school shooting.

The student was apprehended without incident after he arrived by bus at Shaw High School, said principal Michael Barden. Columbus police charged the student with disruption of a public school, said Muscogee County School District communications director Valerie Fuller. The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t obtain any other details about the student.

Barden and Fuller praised the students, staff, parents and other residents who relayed the threat to school officials and police.

“We have concerned citizens who share our concerns about safety,” Fuller said. “… This is a good opportunity to remind people that we have zero tolerance for anything that puts our students and employees at risk.”

Fuller declined to disclose the school disciplinary action the student faces, but the district’s behavior code makes him subject to suspension, expulsion or alternative school, she said.

The threat was posted on Snapchat along with a photo of the student holding a weapon, Fuller said. It was a BB gun, Barden said.

According to Fuller, the threat was worded like this: “Yes, it’s real. Don’t try me like it’s fake. I’ll blow your f------ head off. Y’all pushed me so much that I’ll walk around the school with s---. So try me.”

School officials aren’t aware of any reports that the student was bullied, Fuller said.

After the student was identified as enrolled at Shaw, Barden said, administrators, school district security and Columbus police “made a game plan” and escorted him from the bus to the school office.

“It was over by 7:30 a.m.,” he said, which was 40 minutes before school starts. “… He had nothing on him. He was very remorseful about his post. He knew it was not a very smart act to do.”

Barden encourages parents to “please monitor your children’s social media. … What can seem funny can end up being serious — really, really serious.” He emphasized teens must understand that, although Snapchat allows users to limit the time recipients can view their messages, the content can be saved and continues to exist in forwarded messages and Snapchat’s server.

After the arrest, Barden told the teachers via email what had happened and asked them to explain it to their first-period students. He also informed parents via email and telephone alerts.

“We had a normal day,” Barden said. “There were no issues whatsoever. Our kids went from class to class like normal, and there were lots of smiles in the hallways.”

Barden said Shaw didn’t have an unusual number of absences Tuesday. In fact, he said, the only evidence of disruption at the school was an unrelated power outage that also affected other north Columbus schools for about 10 minutes in the afternoon.

“It was a great day at Shaw High School,” he said.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

Staff writer Sarah Robinson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Student arrested after alleged threat to stage school shooting ."