Boy arrested for “joking” about shooting up school on social media

A 13-year-old Indiana boy was detained last week by police in Valparaiso, Indiana, after he posted a screenshot to social media suggesting he wanted to shoot up a school. The boy, who attends nearby Chesterton Middle School, reportedly told Siri “I am going to shoot up a school.” Siri helpfully responded with a list of schools in the Valparaiso area, where the boy was at the time. The boy took a screenshot and posted it to social media. Some of his contacts alerted the police in Chesterton, who in turn notified Valparaiso cops. The boy said that the post was a joke, and subsequent investigation revealed that he had no access to weapons. There was no sign that the boy had any particular school in mind when he made the comment. "The threat is not believed to be credible at this time," Valparaiso Police wrote in their Facebook post. But in an era when school shootings receive intense media coverage, the police have taken the post seriously. "The male is being detained at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center on a charge of Intimidation," the Valparaiso Police wrote on Thursday. According to the Chicago Tribune, police also arrested a second boy, 14 years old, who was involved in the incident. He reportedly supplied pictures of weapons that were posted on social media, though he didn't have access to the weapons at the time of the post and denied posting any threats.