A 13-year-old boy was arrested Saturday night on accusations that he made online threats of a shooting at Claggett Middle School in Keizer.
The teen posted anonymously on the social media platform Instagram threatening to “shoot up” the school on a specific day and time, the Keizer Police Department announced in a news release late Monday night. “The post appeared to warn students of the pending doom.”
A parent whose daughter had seen the post notified police Saturday evening.
Keizer police worked with the FBI and the Salem-Keizer School District throughout the weekend and into Monday evening to identify and locate the teen who posted the threats, the news release said.
Keizer police arrested the boy around 8:50 p.m. on Monday at his Salem home.
“The male juvenile was brought to the Keizer Police Department where he was interviewed and processed for the crimes of disorderly conduct,” according to the police statement.
District officials notified students, families and employees of Keizer-area schools about the threat on Monday afternoon and sent an update around 10 p.m. Monday following the boy’s arrest.
“We believe along with law enforcement that this threat led to the rumors and reports of other threats at other Keizer area schools – none of which have been substantiated,” the district message said.
Police asked parents and students to report safety concerns to police, school administrators or use SafeOregon to make a confidential report by calling or texting 844-472-3367. Tips also can be emailed to [email protected] or submitted on the SafeOregon app.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
