MESA, Ariz. — A 13-year-old boy was taken into custody today in Arizona for allegedly threatening to "shoot the school down."
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said a threatening Snapchat post was detected on Tuesday and immediately reported to the FBI.
The student suspected of posting the threat had been attending school in Yavapai County before he moved to Mesa to live with another family member, the sheriff's office said.
Mesa police learned the boy may have returned to Yavapai County and contacted the sheriff's office. The boy was later located on campus of a local school shortly before classes started. The teen told deputies he didn't intend to carry out the threat and was just "screwing around."
YCSO said the boy was taken to a juvenile detention center. The boy's family told YCSO he did not have any known access to firearms at home.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
