Oakland County Teen Interviewed By Police About Text Threatening School Shooting
WALLED LAKE (WWJ) - An Oakland County student has been interviewed by police after texting an apparent threat against his high school.
Police say the 16-year-old junior sent a text message to a friend saying he was going to "shoot up" Walled Lake Northern High School on Monday.
The boy's parents bought him to the police station at school officials' request; and, after speaking with the teen, police believed that he was only joking and wasn't actually planning to hurt anyone.
Walled Lake Schools Superintendent Ken Gutman said that — especially in light of last week's Oregon community college shooting — such "jokes" aren't acceptable.
"All the way back to Columbine, there's nothing that's funny about any of that...We're in a different era," Gutman said. "Our children are under much more scrutiny, but they have to also understand that what you put in writing will be taken seriously."
"You know how it is with texts," he added "They get sent around pretty quickly, and we are so fortunate to have students who reported it right away."
Gutman said the student likely will face disciplinary action.
"I don't ever feel afraid to come to work. I know our schools are safe places," Gutman said. "I feel very comfortable that we have a strong learning environment where students feel safe. And, in this case as well, it was something that was not intended to be serious. But you can't take a chance with any of this; we never would."