Teen accused of threatening mass shooting at 12 Phoenix area schools
PHOENIX - A teenager accused of threatening a mass shooting at a dozen schools in the Valley has been arrested.
Phoenix Police say officers learned of a social media threat on Sept. 12.
"Once the initial response was completed and the involved schools, students and school staff were contacted and made safe, detectives were made aware of the threat," Sgt. Rob Scherer said.
Due to the threat, 6,000 student absences at the involved schools were reported in the days after the alleged threat was made.
Investigators say they identified the suspect as a teenage boy. On Sept. 19, the teen was arrested.
"The teen admitted to his involvement and stated that the threat was made after a dare by a peer group," police said.
The teen was booked into a juvenile corrections center. He is accused of multiple charges, including terroristic threats and computer tampering.
Police did not say which social media platform the alleged threat was posted on or which schools were involved.
Charges to be filed against some students following threats at Mesa Public Schools
In the past two weeks, 17 threats of violence have been made within Mesa Public School – the Mesa Police Department is calling this an online nationwide trend.
Message from Phoenix PD
"As a reminder to all involved in these types of scenarios, if you encounter a threat of any kind please report it to the police and in these cases school staff. Do not repost the threat to any social media platform. Reposting these threats complicates the totality of a criminal investigation and can cause misinformation to be spread throughout social media. When authorities are contacted, school administration and law enforcement work hand in hand to ensure the safety of those involved and to begin the investigation into the threats. School staff will contact parents with information related to the threat and what parents and students need to know. These are the times when parents and their students should communicate about the importance of reporting these circumstances and not to spread the threat.
This scenario is also a reminder that this is a zero-tolerance issue, and everyone involved will be arrested and booked into jail on serious felony charges. It should also be understood that anyone convicted of the charge of Making a Terroristic Threat can be held financially responsible for the costs related to the incident and investigation.
Arizona Revised Statutes 13-2308.01, subsection D states, ‘A person who is convicted of a violation of this section is liable for the expenses that are incurred incident to the response to or the investigation of the commission of the terrorist threat or the false report of terrorism.’ In the event that the person convicted is a juvenile, these costs can be subject to the parent or guardian of the juvenile."