Prosecutors in Michigan are clamping down on school shooting threats in the aftermath of last month's Oxford High School massacre by bringing criminal charges against children as young as 11 years old.
The crackdown comes as the FBI is investigating a purported school shooting TikTok challenge daring students to call in threats, which has lead schools around the US to cancel classes on Friday, or bring in additional police officers as a precaution.
However, officials and police have assured parents and students that they have found scant evidence of any credible threats.
School officials in states including Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania said Thursday there would be an increased police presence because of the threats.
Prosecutors in Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Muskegon counties in Michigan have brought charges ranging from threats of terrorism to disturbing the peace against juveniles to make an example out of them and put an end to the wave of copycat threats, reported Detroit Free Press.
'Parents, please talk to your children,' Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy implored during a press conference last week. 'Let them know this is serious. Let them know even if they intend it to be a prank, it isn't a joke.'
Since November 30, when police say 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire inside Oakland High School, killing four students, Worthy's office has charged 38 people in connection with threats.
In Macomb County, prosecutors have filed charges against 30 people, and in Oakland County, where the massacre took place, 17 people have been hit with charges, some as young as 11.
In the faraway Muskegon County, 19 students have been charged for allegedly threatening violence against schools.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, whose deputies were the first on the scene at the high school after the fatal shooting spree last month, said that his office has investigated nearly 140 copycat threats over the past two weeks.
'We'd rather check out 1,000 nothings than miss one real deal,' he added.
The origin of Friday's TikTok challenge daring children to call in threats against schools is not clear, though multiple videos on the app reference 'December 17' and school shootings.
'Prepared to hopefully not get shot tomorrow at school,' one TikTok user wrote on their video. 'Basically there was school threats tomorrow, Friday (December 17th) for most schools.'
In a statement Thursday afternoon, TikTok said it was working with law enforcement to look into 'warnings about potential violence at schools,' but that it didn't determine the threats to originate or spread on TikTok.
A TikTok trend reportedly urging students to call in shooting threats at their schools on Friday, December 17 has sent some schools scrambling to cancel classes last minute
Gov. Phil Murphy said 'there are no known specific threats against New Jersey schools'
A TikTok user by the handle @enigmasoul_ explained that the challenge started as a call for kids to skip school before it turned into something more sinister
The news comes less than three weeks after 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley shot four people and injured seven others at Oxford High School in Michigan.
The news comes less than three weeks after 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley shot four people and injured seven others at Oxford High School in Michigan
Little Falls Community Schools in Minnesota; the Gasconade County in Missouri; Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California; and Kaufman High School in Kaufman, Texas all cited the TikTok 'trend' or 'challenge' when announcing that classes were canceled on Friday, The Verge reports.
At the same time, various school districts have sought to reassure parents that no credible threats exist.
'Based on law enforcement interviews, Little Falls Community Schools was specifically identified in a TikTok post related to this threat,' the district said.
'Therefore, school throughout the district is canceled tomorrow, Friday, December 17.'
In Missouri, the Gasconade County Sheriff's Office cited 'posts circulating on social media sites, such as Tik Tok' before announcing it was closing its schools the next day.
@enigmasoul_ dec17th tik tok challange against schools!plz keep this going hit like!! #viral #danger #newchallenge #fyp
♬ original sound - Kay
Little Falls Community Schools in Minnesota said it was cancelling classes on Friday after the district was 'specifically identified in a TikTok post related to this threat'
Little Falls Community Schools in Minnesota will be closed due to the threat
Gilroy High in Gilroy, California said it was closing down schools on Friday after it got a threat, which later turned out to be meant for a different school with the same initials
Kaufman High School in Kaufman, Texas said it was cancelling classes on Friday after it got a threat in line with the TikTok trend
Owensville High School - Gasconade County is another school closing its doors Friday
On Thursday, Gilroy High said it was closing down schools on Friday after 'it was determined that a social media post thought to involve Gilroy High School had actually originated out of Los Angeles.'
The post turned out to refer to a school outside of Los Angeles, with the district adding that it was deemed to not be a credible threat,
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