2 students arrested after allegedly making false threats at Buckeye schools

PHOENIX – After receiving multiple reports of threats of school shootings in Buckeye, two students have been arrested after allegedly posting threats and making false claims, authorities announced Thursday.

In the last week the Buckeye Police Department received over 300 reports from citizens regarding threats involving shootings at schools in the city.

After an investigation from patrol officers, school resource officers and detectives, the department arrested a 17-year-old male and 13-year-old female.

The boy, a student at Buckeye Union High School, was arrested for making claims that he had seen a gun in a bathroom at the school. The 17-year-old boy texted another boy about seeing the gun, which led to the other student to post the claim on social media.

After a school resource officer was made aware of the post, the high school was put in a hold and officers investigated the claim. After locating the student who posted on social media, he told officers where the original claim came from. Police found the 17-year-old who sent the text message and determined the report to be false. He was arrested and faces criminal charges and school discipline.

Buckeye police arrested the 13-year-old girl after receiving a tip from the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center about a threat of a school shooting in Buckeye. The girl, a student at Bales Elementary School was located by detectives and faces criminal charges.

Both students were booked into Durango Juvenile Detention Center.

A week of school shooting threats

Buckeye police began receiving reports on school shooting threats on Monday, according to Sgt. Zach Astrup.

The initial threat included the word Buckeye but an investigation determined it involved a school in Ohio. The Ohio high school was made aware of the threat and began their own investigation.

Since then, over 300 reports of school shooting threats have been received by Buckeye police. Astrup said it is difficult to tell how many different threats there are since many of the reports could be regarding the same threat.

How to safely report threats

Astrup recommends that students go to a trusted adult, teacher, school resource officer, counselor or police officer to report any claims regarding threats in the school.

“We want them to let somebody know,” Astrup said. “The big problem is we have a lot of people who think they are helping out when they are reposting it because they want all their friends and family to know.”

“While we certainly understand their concern for their friends and family, that repost turns into another repost and another repost and it’s difficult to contain.”

Buckeye police ask people to not repost but to report.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Heidi Hommel contributed to this report