Woburn Police Investigate Threat Left On Patch Facebook Page

WOBURN, MA -- Woburn Police were interviewing a New Hampshire man Friday after he left a comment on Woburn Patch's Website that officials interpreted as a threat. The comment was left on a story about students at Woburn Memorial High School planning a walkout and showed a a photo of an AR-15 rifle. Woburn Patch, at the request of the Woburn Police Department, has removed the comment from its Facebook page.

"A principal found the posting this morning and are interpreting it as a threat, with the current environment it is taking a life of its own," Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo said in an email to Woburn Patch. "I have officers in the way to New Hampshire to interview the guy."

The article highlighted plans by Woburn students to participate in a national walkout on March 14 to protest gun violence. In the week since it has been posted, the comments section of the article on Facebook has become a forum for a debate on gun laws.

The comment was left by John Moses Browning, whose Facebook profile says he lives in Barnstead, NH, but was originally from Woburn. The name is likely a fake: John Moses Browning designed rifles and has been called "America’s most prolific and revered arms designer." He died in 1926.

The investigation by Woburn Police comes one day after police in Tewksbury arrested a 14-year-old who had threatened to shoot another student. After ordering students to shelter-in-place, police searched the school. No gun or threat was found.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).