MADISON, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two middle schoolers have been charged after police said they threatened to “shoot up” a school in Madison.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), students in a social media group reported to police that two 12-year-old male students at Madison Middle School made statements about shooting up the school.
Other students in the group allegedly told officers that one of the 12-year-olds had several guns, including one that appeared to be an AK-47.
While searching one of the student’s homes, officers reportedly found a toy AK-47 that resembled a real gun in a bedroom. In addition to the toy gun, “multiple unsecured guns” were also found in the residence, police said.
The MNPD said they are conducting “further education” about gun safety with the student’s parents.
Both 12-year-old students were charged with threatening mass violence and making a false report.
The charges come after at least a dozen students in the Nashville area were arrested for making school threats. One arrest includes a student at Antioch High School who reportedly made “concerning remarks“; another arrest includes an 18-year-old Hunters Lane High School student who reportedly told a student in his class that he was going to “shoot up the school the next day.”
In a statement, the MNPD said they take “threats against schools, special events and businesses very seriously,” adding that those responsible for making threats will be prosecuted once identified.
