A 16-year-old New Yorker was recently apprehended after allegedly threatening to open fire on Bellport High School.
The teen, who remains unidentified due to his age, allegedly posted the threat onto the @bellportscholars Instagram page by writing that there could soon be a mass shooting at the Brookhaven, New York, institution.
“Bellport mass shooting tmr? shhh,” the message read.
Concerned peers soon reported the situation to local law enforcement authorities, who arrested the teen at his house. Upon searching the premises, no firearms were found — though the student was still charged with making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment.
Police in Suffolk County say this was meant as a prank for Bellport High School. NOT ok. A 16-year old student spent the night in jail for allegedly posting it. Details later on @ABC7NY #schoolshootings @SCPDHq pic.twitter.com/jKF0KPIQnc
— Stacey Sager (@staceysager7) May 27, 2022
“We take these threats seriously and will devote our resources to ensuring the safety of our children,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
“Thankfully, this incident appears to have been a terrible prank gone wrong and the accused had no capacity or intention to act on the threat,” he added. “This is not a joke. This will be taken seriously, and you will be prosecuted.”
Since his Thursday night arrest, the student has been placed on supervised release, complete with a GPS and 9 p.m. curfew. He’s also not allowed to frequent social media and will be subjected to drug and alcohol testing.
“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,” Tierney said once the situation was under control.
This scare comes days after a horrific school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. An 18-year-old gunman entered the campus and slaughtered 19 children and two teachers.
Just ten days earlier, a racist massacre occurred at a Buffalo, New York, Walmart — resulting in the brutal killings of 10 Black people. Harrowingly, the 18-year-old gunman also live-streamed a portion of the incident on Twitch, though it was later removed.
