'Bad, bad' shooting comment prompts reaction at Utah school

'Bad, bad' shooting comment prompts reaction at Utah school

(Mike DeBernardo, KSL TV File)


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SANDY — Sandy police say an upset middle school student made a poor choice in how he vented his frustration on social media.

The student, who was allegedly angry about a friend who had been expelled from Eastmont Middle School, posted a comment on social media to the effect of getting revenge by shooting up the school, said Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen.

The student was involved in a conversation with the expelled boy and at least one other student, he said.

Fortunately, an alert parent who monitors their child's social media accounts saw the post and contacted the Canyons School District Tuesday night, Nielsen said. The school resource officer was contacted and immediately started interviewing students and parents.

Police do not believe the threat was legitimate, but suspect the student likely made an impulsive comment out of anger, according to Nielsen.

But, he said, comments like that are never appropriate, particularly on the heels of the tragedy in Florida and a recent school shooting scare at Jordan High School.

"When kids start doing these social media chats and responsible parents are actually monitoring these things, if one of these kids makes a comment that is a very, very bad comment — such as shooting up a school or any of that — it gets out there very quickly," he said.

"It is never a good idea to threaten somebody's life. Not ever. Especially when you threaten mass lives like this. In today's day and age, the potential for school shootings is on the radar for everybody and it is a very sensitive topic. It's not even an off-the-cuff comment. This was a bad, bad comment."

Extra officers were assigned to Eastmont Middle School on Wednesday both as a precaution and to visually reassure parents, students and faculty who heard about the threat. The student accused of making the comment could by cited for making a false alarm, and could also face discipline from the school district.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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