NORWOOD, MA – A pre-teen student in Norwood, Massachusetts, was arrested following allegations that the child had threatened to execute a school shooting. The apprehension was made on Sunday night after the 12-year-old confessed to the local police. However, the motive behind the threat remains unclear at this time.
Although a house search yielded no firearms, a cell phone was seized by the police. Parents were kept informed about the situation, receiving a letter from Norwood School District authorities. The message assured them of an amplified police presence at the district schools on Monday and stated that school counseling services are on hand for students needing additional support.
During Friday school hours, the threat initially got on the radar of the Norwood police. They received information about a circulating group text warning of a potential shooting situation at the Coakley Middle School. After discussing the incident with the students involved in the initial group text, the law enforcement officials identified the sender of the message on Saturday. However, the student was out of town with family at that time and was apprehended upon return on Sunday.
Even though the police don’t predict any continued threat and deem the arrest a “successful conclusion” to the case, some parents are tentatively keeping their children from attending school on Monday.
The 12-year-old student is being charged with crimes that include disorderly conduct, the disturbance of a public assembly, a threat to commit a crime, and a bomb threat triggering severe public alarm, as disclosed by the Norwood police.