A 12-year-old student from Coakley Middle School in Norwood, Massachusetts, has been placed under arrest following allegations of the child sending a text threatening a mass shooting at the school. The incident, which authorities became aware of on Friday, prompted a swift response from local police. According to WCVB, the threat indicated a planned event for Monday, causing heightened security measures to be implemented at both the middle school and Norwood High School.
While students were preparing to return to school, the police were working rapidly to uncover the threat's origin. The original message came from a group text that included a number not immediately recognizable. Other students in the conversation were questioned in an attempt for police to identify the mysterious number. The message under scrutiny contained specifics that suggested the sender held some familiarity with Coakley Middle School, as per CBS News.
Through their investigation, detectives determined that the origin of the text was a student at the school, who was briefly communicated with on the phone—traveling out of state with family at the time. Upon the family's return on Sunday, the authorities performed a search at the student's residence, where they confiscated a cellphone. After being confronted, the student admitted to composing the threat with their family present, as per statements obtained by WCVB.
No weapons were found in the search of the student's home. Despite a second message that appeared to threaten Norwood High School, investigators confirmed it to be a spoof and unconnected to the student already in custody. As a precaution, officers will remain on site, with the alleged offender prohibited from attending school today. This extra presence aims to provide some peace of mind for a community unsettled by the recent turn of events, Norwood Police indicated.
