ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — Two Rockdale County students have been charged with threatening to shoot teachers and fellow students.
Police said one claimed he would blow up Rockdale County High School.
“It's disturbing because I go here," student Matt Barnett said.
Other high school students told Channel 2's Tom Regan they first learned from him that another student, a 14-year-old, sent text messages Monday threatening to shoot students in the back if they wore headphones to school.
“He had a specific list of teachers and students he was going to target, coming to school Tuesday with the intent of shooting the folks on that list,” said Kim Lucas, with the Conyers Police Department.
Police arrested the boy at his home early Tuesday morning.
“We did execute search warrants at his residence, we did learn there was a firearm there but it was secured locked away from here he could not get it,” Lucas told Regan.
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Investigators seized a phone and electronic devices from the teen to see if there was an actual hit list or other evidence.
“This is new to me, to hear something like this. It's scary,” student Zalilia Williams said.
On Sunday, another teen from the magnet school nearby posted his own threat on social media, about what would happen to a teacher if he didn't pass his exams.
“He was going to violently sexually assault a particular teacher with the intent of killing her and he was going to turn around and blow up the school and then ultimately kill himself,” Lucas said.
Police arrested the student at his home.
Others say with school shootings becoming frighteningly commonplace, the threats have to be taken as real.
“I hope they learn their lesson,” student Cameron Elias told Regan.
“Parents really need to watch, get into the student phone, social media,” Lucas said.
The teens arrested are at a juvenile detention center.
Rockdale County schools told Regan that the safety of students and staff is a top priority and take any threat seriously.
Cox Media Group
