Student Arrested for Felony Harassment at Kennewick Middle School

A student was arrested for felony harassment on Tuesday after making a threat. At Highlands Middle School in Kennewick, students reported hearing a student state, "I am going to shoot up the school."

After investigation, credible informatiohat the student did make the statement. The student was arrested and booked into the Benton Franklin Juvenile Justice Center.

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Earlier in the day at Highlands Middle School, the School Resource Officer received information from students regarding a possible upcoming shooting. After investigating the initial information, and following up, the threat was found to be unsubstantiated. According to reports, there were "rumors" on social media that a shooting was going to take place. All the information was third hand and no social media post was found documenting the threat.

Kennewick Police report multiple school shooting rumors have been made based on social media posts. All were unsubstantiated and NOT tied to Kennewick schools. In a Facebook post, Kennewick Police made the following plea:

We are asking all parents to speak with their children about making threats. It is important for them to understand each threat will be taken seriously and investigated. We also want to continue the “see or hear something, say something,” partnership that has proven to stop or prevent what could be horrific life changing events. We want parents to know there are resources both through the Kennewick School District and through the community if kids are struggling with issues including mental health.

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The Kennewick Police Department and Kennewick School District will continue to work together to increase safety in schools.