Teen on bus heard, reported threat of shooting at Uniontown Area High School
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Uniontown Area School District Assistant Superintendent Dan Bosnic disagreed with a student鈥檚 reported statement that he could easily sneak a gun into school. Bosnic was joined by state police, school police and Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower at a press conference Friday morning.
缅北禁地
Uniontown Area High School
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower said at a press conference Friday morning a 14-year-old boy threatened to shoot four students at Uniontown Area High School. The Henry Clay Township student was taken into custody Thursday and charged in juvenile court.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
State Police Trooper Robert Broadwater introduced officials at a press conference Friday morning to discuss a shooting threat made against Uniontown Area High School students.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
A Laurel Highlands High School student allegedly made threats Thursday to shoot another student, following an unrelated threat at Uniontown Area High School earlier that day.
A Uniontown Area High School student is being hailed as a hero who may have prevented a school shooting.
Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower said today the student overheard and recorded a conversation on the school bus Thursday afternoon about a 14-year-old鈥檚 plan to shoot four people at the city school today.
鈥淨uite frankly the parents and the child who reported this are actually the heroes here,鈥� Bower said. 鈥淗ad they not reported this, there could have been a major tragedy at Uniontown High School.鈥�
Police did not identify the student who came to police, nor did they identify the students who were allegedly targeted.
Bower said the 14-year-old Henry Clay Township student had several weapons in his bedroom, including a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, two lever-action rifles, a revolver, two machetes, throwing knives and a crossbow with arrows. There was bulk ammunition for the weapons, Bower said.
The teen was taken into custody Thursday and is in a juvenile detention facility. Because he is a juvenile, his name was not released.
鈥淗e indicated that it would be extremely easy to sneak a gun into the school in his backpack, and he also indicated that he could use a sniper rifle from a distance or use a shotgun for mass casualties,鈥� Bower said.
The school鈥檚 assistant superintendent, Dan Bosnic, disagreed with the claim that a shooting could have easily occurred.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that to be the case. I think that, first of all safety is paramount in our district. The student safety is paramount,鈥� he said.
Superintendent Charles Machesky issued a statement summarizing the incident and increased security measures taken Friday.
鈥淭he district would like to that the Pennsylvania State Police, the Uniontown City Police, as well as our students, parents, and staff members for their assistance and efforts to ensure a safe and productive day of education,鈥� he wrote.
Police are also working to investigate the threat of a shooting at Laurel Highlands High School, Bower said. Later in the evening Thursday, authorities received word of a threat to shoot students at the North Union Township school this coming Monday. Superintendent Jesse Wallace said the school will be closed to students Monday, although teachers will report to the school. State police will have an increased presence at the school throughout the week, he said.
Bower said authorities do not believe the Uniontown and Laurel Highlands shooting threats are related. State police were on the scene conducting interviews Friday. Wallace said investigators identified people of interest, but he was not made aware of any arrests Friday afternoon.
After police were notified of the Uniontown threat, they worked with school police to notify the four students who were going to be targeted, Bower said.
He indicated that the 14-year-old did not tell police of a particular reason he intended to target those specific students.
鈥淗e just didn鈥檛 like them,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o we always have to have a reason other than somebody doesn鈥檛 like them? That鈥檚 the interesting thing about this nowadays鈥� These kids see way too much in the video games, this stuff on TV. He just didn鈥檛 like them. That鈥檚 what he said. He didn鈥檛 like them. What a reason to do something.鈥�
He declined to comment on whether the student had been bullied.
Police were stationed at Uniontown鈥檚 schools, using a hand-held wand to check students on the way in on Friday. A trooper was also stationed on the student鈥檚 bus.
鈥淚t goes without saying that quite frankly there was probably a catastrophe averted today by the quick response by all involved. We can only thank God that the parent and the child called (police),鈥� Bower said, calling the shooting 鈥減robably something that would鈥檝e happened.鈥�
The teen is charged with terroristic threats, possession of a firearm by a minor and attempt a commit a catastrophe.