‘I’m going to become a school shooter’: FBI spots Bluffton student’s threat on Instagram

A 14-year-old Bluffton High School student who posted on social media that he was “going to become a school shooter” will not be charged, according to officials.

Over the weekend, the student posted a photo of a gun inside of a backpack on the social media app Instagram.

The photo caption read: “I’m going to become a school shooter tomorrow,” according to a report from the Bluffton Police Department.

Police were alerted about the post Sunday night by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the report said.

Upon receiving the information, officers went to the student’s home and interviewed him and his parent.

Officers frisked the student and searched his room, but no weapons were found, the report said.

The student told officers the social media post was “only a joke” and that he reposted an image he found on the internet.

The Bluffton Police Department issued a news release Monday saying charges would not be filed against the student.

Jim Foster, spokesperson for the Beaufort County School District, said the student be disciplined according to the district code of conduct, which calls for up to 10 days out-of-school suspension along with a recommendation for expulsion or assignment to alternative school.

Since the start of the 2018-19 school year, a dozen threats have been made to schools in the district, including four on social media, one on a bathroom stall and several stated verbally among peers.

This story was originally published December 3, 2018 at 12:45 PM.