14-year-old arrested over social media post threatening three Mukilteo schools

Snohomish County Sheriff’s detectives say they’ve arrested a 14-year-old over a social media post that threatened three schools in the Mukilteo School District.

Students protest outside Seattle Public Schools building

Courtney O’Keefe with the sheriff’s office told KIRO Radio the suspect was booked into juvenile detention on six felony counts Thursday.

“Three counts of felony threats to kill, one for each school,” O’Keefe explained. “And three counts of threats to bomb or injure property, which includes public or private school buildings.”

The threat indicated there would be shootings at Voyager Middle, Explorer Middle, and Mariner High Schools, all in the Mukilteo School District. O’Keefe’s understanding is the individual used to be a student at one of these schools but is no longer a student there.

After a 911 call about the social media post, detectives tracked the post to a residence where the suspect was taken into custody and transported to a youth detention center in Everett.

“Detectives were called in overnight to investigate it immediately due to the circumstances and the potential danger,” O’Keefe said.

“It’s not a joke to post something like this on social media. It’s taken very seriously,” O’Keefe added. “Lives have been lost due to school shootings. We absolutely want people to understand that they will be held accountable and this will not be considered a joke or a hoax.”

There has also been a police presence at two schools in Edmonds on Thursday.

According to My Edmonds News, the added police presence comes after someone wrote a threatening message on a bathroom wall at both schools warning to not come to school today specifically.

Edmonds-Woodway High School and the former Woodway High School campus, which is now a mixed-use building, will be guarded by police Thursday.

Edmonds-Woodway High School will also be protected by police next Wednesday because of a specific message discovered last month about “shooting up the school” on Dec. 8.

Bothell High School has also been closed Thursday due to a safety concern, according to a release from the North Shore School District to families.

As KIRO 7 TV reports, in a message to families, Superintendent Michelle Reid said the high school community was notified of an anonymous “threat of violence” and was taking the matter seriously. Bothell students and staff were able to work online, instead of in-person learning.

The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.

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