17-year-old arrested after threatening school shooting on Facebook
A 17-year-old male was arrested Monday for allegedly posting on Facebook that he would participate in a shooting at an Albany, New York, high school, police said.
The suspect allegedly posted the threat Sunday night, and was charged with making a terroristic threat Monday, Albany police spokesperson Steven Smith said.
The Facebook post went viral locally and resulted in multiple calls to the police department, Smith said. Police responded with an increased presence at Albany High School when students arrived on campus Monday morning.
Many students didn’t even show up out of fear, Smith said.
The school also experienced a temporary lockdown Monday morning after a separate, unrelated call was placed, alleging that someone with a firearm was near the school, according to Smith.
After investigating, police determined it wasn’t a credible report, and the lockdown was lifted. Police stayed at the school, though, and the department planned to have more officers there when school let out for the day, Smith said.
The lockdown lasted about an hour, City School District of Albany Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams said in a statement on the school district website.
School district administrators and security teams worked “through Sunday night” to investigate the Facebook threat, Adams said in a statement.
“The safety of the students, faculty and staff is of paramount importance to the City School District of Albany,” Adams said. “The district will continue to assure that the threats, of any kind, are reported to the proper authorities, thoroughly investigated and accurately communicated to students, parents, faculty and staff.”
CNN has reached out to Facebook for comment.
The 17-year-old, who police have not named publicly, attends a different school in the same district, according to Smith.
Police planned to search the suspect’s home Monday, and the investigation is ongoing, Smith said.
The suspect was scheduled to be arraigned Monday at the youth division of Albany City Criminal Court, Smith said. CNN has not determined if the suspect has a lawyer.
