Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OREM — Police have arrested a Mountain View High School student who they say posted an Instagram video of herself loading a gun, pointing it at a camera and saying, "You ready for your first and last day of school?"
A concerned parent tipped off officers about 9 p.m. on Sunday, the night before the first day of school, said Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez. Less than two hours later, the teen was being held in a detention center, he added.
The video shows the girl loading an empty magazine and then pulling the trigger, Martinez said.
"A threat doesn't get any more real than that," he added.
The student told investigators she was making a joke, but officers said that they consider the post a threat because the gun was real. The girl's parents told police the weapon belongs to her mother, Martinez said.
This is no joke folks. Talk to your kids about how serious of a crime this is (joking or not)! Our 17 female suspect is in custody and the gun has been confiscated. @OremDPSpic.twitter.com/6wTMmHOoca
— Orem Police Dept. (@OremDPS) August 20, 2018
The teen was being held for investigation of terrorism, disorderly conduct and possession of a handgun by a minor.
"We applaud the courage of those kids who saw her post and talked to their parents, who in turn talked to us," Orem police said in a Facebook post.
