West Bloomfield Teen Behind Alleged Threat to 'Shoot Up School' Charged

A West Bloomfield teen who allegedly sent a text message to his friends Friday threatening to “shoot up the school” has been charged with making a false report of an act of terrorism.

The student, who hasn’t been identified, told police that he was “just joking around” when he sent the text to his friends, who then forwarded it to other students.

The liaison deputy to assigned to Walled Lake Northern High School contacted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office about the alleged threat, made a day after a gunman, 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, opened fire inside a classroom at a rural Oregon community college, killing nine people before committing suicide.

The Walled Lake district said in a message to parents:

“Immediately, Walled Lake Schools administration was notified and contacted our police liaison officer and local law enforcement officials. We have been notified by these officials that the text was meant to be a joke and there was never any imminent danger. Walled Lake Schools takes every threat seriously and will implement consequences in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct and the full extent of the law. We will continue our internal investigation as we work closely with law enforcement official.”

When the student was interviewed by sheriff’s office deputies with his parents’ permission, he reportedly said that he knew he should not have sent the message, and that he had no intention of following through with the threat.

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• Teen Who Texted Threat to ‘Shoot Up School’ Says He Was Joking: Police