Two juveniles have been arrested over the past two weeks for allegedly threatening to shoot up North Whidbey Middle School in two separate incidents, according to court documents.
The police found that neither student had access to guns or any plans for actual violence.
On Oct. 5, the Oak Harbor Police Department arrested a middle schooler who is accused of posting threats against women and the North Whidbey Middle School on social media.
According to court documents, the 13-year-old allegedly wrote “My goal is to kill women” and “I’m shooting up my school, hint NW” in the comment section of two random viral videos on TikTok on Sept. 30.
On Oct. 5, TikTok U.S. Data Security informed the FBI of the threat, and the agency notified the Oak Harbor Police Department, which immediately dispatched an officer to the address associated with the account’s phone number.
The suspect’s mother said neither she nor her son have firearms; she did say her son had made “similar comments to her when getting ready for school,” an officer wrote in a report.
The young suspect admitted to the officer that he was the author of the threats but that he had no plans to shoot up North Whidbey Middle School or to kill women, the officer wrote. The officer seized the phone and arrested the teen for “threats to bomb or injure property.”
At the preliminary appearance on the same day, District Court Judge Ron Costeck found probable cause existed to believe that the teen committed the crime of threatening to bomb or injure property and that he was a threat to community safety; he set bail at $2,500.
Police Chief Tony Slowik said the police department does not believe there is an ongoing threat to the schools or the community but is still investigating the incident.
On Sept. 26, another police officer was sent to the middle school after the assistant principal reported that a 12-year-old student told her paraeducator she was going to shoot up the school, according to an officer’s report.
The paraeducator reported that the student also said she was “going to bring a gun to school and shoot her brother’s dad,” followed by “It does not matter, I will be dead tomorrow anyways,” the officer wrote.
The principal reported that the girl made a similar comment in his office.
A teacher said that when the student walked to class to grab her things, she said the police were there to arrest her for threatening to “shoot someone.” The teacher said she saw some students “alarmed, scared and excited.”
After some resistance, the student allowed the officer to inspect her bag to search for firearms but no weapons were found, the document states.
The student’s mother said there were no guns in their home and that her daughter had never made similar comments.
On Sept. 27, the student appeared in front of a judge in the county juvenile court, where it was found there was probable cause to believe she committed the crimes of threat to bomb/injure property and harassment.
The judge ordered that the girl must be evaluated by a mental health professional for possible commitment to a mental health facility before she was released from juvenile detention.
Following the two incidents, the school district sent families a message informing them of what had happened.
“Threats of any kind are not tolerated and have serious impacts on our students, staff and our Oak Harbor community,” the Oct. 5 press release states.
The district also urged community members to report any safety concerns to administrators, law enforcement, counselors or through a confidentiality safety tip line that can be found on the district’s website. Families were also encouraged to teach their kids how to use social media responsibly.