Police make arrests for threats against Nashville schools since Antioch shooting
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Nashville remains on edge in the aftermath of the Antioch High School shooting last month.
Why it matters: School safety is dominating conversations at kitchen tables and in the mayor's office following the city's second school shooting in less than two years.
- The concern comes hand-in-hand with an unnerving rash of copycat threats that officials are scrambling to address.
State of play: A 16-year-old girl died in the Jan. 22 shooting in Antioch. Police said the shooter, also a student, killed himself on the scene.
By the numbers: There have been at least 11 arrests for threats of violence against schools or school leaders since the Antioch shooting, according to police reports. A strict state law makes it a crime to make such threats.
- Three 12-year-olds are among those arrested for making threats in separate incidents.
Zoom in: In one incident, police say a 12-year-old middle school student made threats against Antioch High and Hillsboro High in an Instagram story.
- Police say a Hunters Lane student admitted to telling another student he would "shoot up the school" the next day.
What she's saying: Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway told WKRN she doesn't think those kinds of threats were prevalent "until the Antioch incident."
- "For me, the most concerning part is these youth just don't understand the gravity and the severity of what they're doing," Calloway told the TV station.
- "They don't understand how it emotionally affects everybody in our community. The school shootings have been a constant and they've been growing, and they are unnerving."
Between the lines: Calloway urged parents to watch their children's online behavior, especially on social media, to ensure they weren't crossing the line.
The bottom line: A police spokesperson tells Axios the number of such school threats increased following the Antioch shooting.
- "Making threats of mass violence by any means is not a joke," Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said at his press briefing last week.
- "Our Metro Nashville Police Department, the FBI and other law enforcement are constantly monitoring for threats of mass violence of any kind. Those responsible, once identified, will be prosecuted or otherwise held accountable."