Long Island high school student arrested for threatening massive school shooting, says district attorney
NEW YORK - A high school student in Suffolk County was arrested for threatening to carry out a massive shooting at his school, announced District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
The 16-year-old from Bellport High School, whose name was being withheld due to his age, allegedly posted on his "Bellport Scholars" Instagram page that there could be a massive shooting at the school Friday.
The student was arrested Thursday night at his home in Bellport after police received multiple 911 calls about the post. Fifth Squad detectives did not find weapons in the house.
"We take these threats seriously and will devote our resources to ensuring the safety of our children," said Tierney in a statement to the media.
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The teen was charged with Making a Terroristic Threat and Aggravated Harassment. He was expected to be arraigned Friday before Judge Karen Kerr in Suffolk County Youth Part of First District Court in Central Islip.
"Our legislators need to fix this disastrous ‘bail reform.’ I am convening a School Safety Summit here in Suffolk County with parents, teachers, school officials, law enforcement and my office to work on improving our response to school safety threats and keeping our kids safe," said Tierney.
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The alleged threat came days after 21 people including 19 fourth-graders were shot dead inside an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
"I thank Suffolk police for their swift action here. Upon learning of this threat, they worked with my office to locate and interview the individual responsible for the threat. In addition, they searched and determined that there were no guns in the home," added Tierney.