Girl ID’d in school shooting threat that draws Kettering, Oakwood police

School says 17-year-old Kettering student ‘had no intention of harming others,’ but authorities are still weighing charges
Possible inducing panic charges are being examined after a school threat at Fairmont High School resulted in a Kettering police investigation. NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Credit: NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Possible inducing panic charges are being examined after a school threat at Fairmont High School resulted in a Kettering police investigation. NICK BLIZZARD/STAFF

Possible criminal charges are being examined after a shooting threat was reported to Kettering and Oakwood schools, resulting in police investigations from both cities, records show.

Officials said they have identified a 17-year-old Kettering female student as making the threat, which was deemed not credible.

The student admitted to the threat, which was found in a Fairmont High School restroom, according to district spokeswoman Kari Basson.

“(School board) policy will be followed in pursuing discipline with the student involved,” Basson said in an email Thursday afternoon. “In addition, the district will ... cooperate with the Kettering Police Department as they work with the prosecutor’s office to determine if any charges will be filed as a result of this incident,” she added.

A Fairmont letter to parents Wednesday afternoon stated the suspect was under adult supervision and referenced a possible inducing panic charge. On Thursday, Fairmont officials said they determined the student acted in isolation and had no intention of harming others. That said, they added that the student in question was “not in school” at this point.

The threat reported to Fairmont and Kettering police “was one in the same” fielded by Oakwood police Wednesday, a report from Oakwood’s safety department states. In the Oakwood case, a social media posting had an image with similar wording to the threat found at Fairmont.

The Dayton Daily News has requested a copy of the Kettering police report. It was still being compiled Thursday afternoon and “will be sent to the juvenile prosecutor’s office with the request to review for charges,” KPD patrolman and spokesman Tyler Johnson said in an email.

A statement posted on Oakwood City Schools’ website Thursday morning referred to “recent disturbing social media posts threatening violence at a school” as not being linked to Oakwood or one of its students.

The social media threat “was circulating in the area,” Oakwood schools spokeswoman Traci Hale said in an email.

“Our goal was to thank our families, students and staff for reporting their concerns and to let them know there was not a threat to their safety,” she added.

Fairmont officials cited similar action in the email to parents. “We commend the response and actions of our students, staff, administration and KPD,” according to the letter.

The Oakwood police report indicated the Snapchat threat stated someone would “shoot up the school on October 20th 9:30 am” without referencing a specific school or district.

A Kettering officer told Oakwood police Wednesday “there was no longer any threat … as far as they were aware of,” according to the Oakwood document.

The threat was reported to the Fairmont administration by both staff and students, according to the emailed letter.

Oakwood police arrived at the home of a city resident shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday. The woman said her son had showed her the Snapchat message, but he was unable to provide any “usable information to obtain the origination” of the message.

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