Anonymous tip about a mass shooting threat leads to 19-year-old’s arrest
By Andy Alcock
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BLUE SPRINGS, Missouri (KMBC) — An anonymous tip about a mass shooting threat on social media led to the arrest of a 19-year-old Blue Springs man Wednesday.
That tip also led to cancellations and postponements of summer school and other events at 10 school districts.
Jackson County prosecutors charged the 19-year-old with one count of making a terroristic threat.
Police said they searched the suspect’s home Wednesday to see if he might have been able to follow through with that threat.
“We have to take all these threats seriously. If you post these messages, we’re going to try to figure out who you are and prosecute you,” said Detective Sgt. Keegan Hughes, of the Blue Springs Police Department.
In this instance, investigators said the suspect posted the threatening message on Snapchat. The message did not mention schools or a specific location.
But police also said the suspect is a former Blue Springs High School student, so investigators contacted the school district.
“Luckily, we have a great relationship with the local Blue Springs School District. We notified them early on,” Hughes said.
Lee’s Summit and Independence both have elementary schools in the Blue Springs School District.
With summer school and various activities set, 10 school districts moved quickly Tuesday night to shut down until the suspect could be caught.
“The First Amendment ends when you threaten violence against other individuals, and especially in this world we live in with recent mass shootings,” Hughes said.
Police were able to make an arrest in part with help from the FBI tracking his phone and saving his Snapchat post.
“We’ve had past cases with him, but no real charges have been brought against this individual,” Hughes said.
The suspect’s father told KMBC’s Andy Alcock that he believes the case is being blown out of proportion. The father claimed the Snapchat post was an argument between his son and a friend.
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