Police in Sequim, on the Olympic Peninsula, may have thwarted a school shooting Sunday after discovering social media posts threatening Sequim High School with specific students mentioned by name.
Officials said they learned of the threat after being alerted to several social media posts threatening Sequim High School. An anonymous user posted the threats, but police were able to track down the user and made an arrest Sunday evening.
“A 15-year-old student was determined to be the person of interest. In collaboration with the student’s parents, the individual was taken into custody on Sunday evening,” said Sequim Police Department Deputy Chief John Southard.
Many parents learned of the threat through social media Sunday. Others said they found out during Monday morning drop-off when they noticed an unusual police presence.
“A lot of parents kept their kids home, but I spoke with my child and decided she would attend class today, as there was apparently no ongoing threat,” a parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Southard noted that as a precaution, police presence was increased in the area. “It appears this student acted alone, and there have been no further threats. However, as a precautionary measure, the Sequim Police Department remains in heightened patrols in the vicinity of the school district,” Southard explained.
The arrest demonstrates law enforcement’s growing capability to trace anonymous social media threats through digital forensics and platform cooperation, even when users attempt to conceal their identities through burner accounts or privacy settings.
Naming specific students in the threats elevated the severity beyond general school violence rhetoric, indicating the 15-year-old suspect had identified particular targets and potentially planned actionable violence rather than merely venting frustration online.
The collaboration with the student’s parents during the arrest reflects standard juvenile custody protocols where law enforcement involves guardians when taking minors into custody for serious offenses, balancing public safety with family notification requirements.
Parents learning about the threat through social media rather than official school or police channels highlights challenges in emergency communication during the digital age, where rumors and unverified information spread faster than formal notifications from authorities.
The varied parental responses, some keeping children home, others sending them to school, demonstrates how threat assessments differ among families and the difficult calculations parents make balancing safety concerns against educational continuity and normalcy.
Sequim High School’s location on the rural Olympic Peninsula means the incident affects a tight-knit community where students and families often know each other personally, making named threats particularly alarming and creating ripple effects throughout the small town.
Heightened police patrols following the arrest provide visible reassurance while also serving investigative purposes, allowing officers to identify any accomplices or additional suspicious activity that might indicate the threat extended beyond the lone suspect.
The 15-year-old’s age places them in a category where Washington law allows prosecution as a juvenile for most offenses, though serious felony threats involving schools could potentially result in decline hearings that move cases to adult court.
