HOWELL – A threat made by a Howell High School student was not serious, but police said they will have an increased presence today just in case.
The student made a post on the social media app SnapChat holding an AirSoft rifle that looked like a real weapon. Parents reported the post.
“Within an hour, the student was arrested,” Chief Andrew Kudrick said. “He was found to be in possession of an AirSoft rifle. The same one depicted in the photo. Although not a real firearm it certainly is identical to an actual rifle.
“This was a poor decision by this juvenile. Although no credible threat of violence is assumed, we will have an increased police presence at the high school (December 1),” he said.
Principal Jeremy Braverman made a statement to the community last night about the issue: “In order to avoid further public alarm, and in partnership with HTPD Chief Kudrick, we are informing our school community that we were made aware of threatening remarks made this evening on SnapChat. These remarks were immediately investigated by HTPD and found to be not credible. The student that posted these remarks will not be in school for the immediate future.
“As always, we are mindful of student confidentiality, but in light of the unrest of the public and our students, and to protect the safety of all students and staff, we are sharing this information,” he said. “To that end, we join in the request of the Howell Police Department that everyone be mindful not to circulate or interpret rumors or speculative information as true. As always, the health and safety of all our students and staff is our foremost concern. Chief Kudrick and I have spoken multiple times this evening and will remain in close contact regarding this matter.”
“We thank the community who recognized this potential threat and immediately shared across social media platforms and notified the police department,” Kudrick said. “I thank all of you who saw something and said something. My officers, under the supervision of Sgt. Encarnacion did an outstanding job.”
