11-year-old student accused in shooting threat at Wendover Middle School

An 11-year-old Wendover Middle School student is accused of posting threats on social media to bring in a bomb and “shoot up” the Hempfield Area school Wednesday, state police said.

The boy, who was not identified, is accused of making terroristic threats. Police say he texted fellow students on the social media platform Snapchat at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday about shooting at the school, police said. He followed that three hours later with more texts, police said, writing that “I’m bringing a gun to school” to shoot other people and “I’m bringing a bomb.”

The boy was arrested at his home Tuesday without incident, police said. Electronic devices were seized as part of the probe, police said. Although firearms were found in the home, the student did not have them, police said. No explosive devices were found in the home, police said.

“Investigators do not have any evidence to indicate the student was actually engaged in any such explosives-related activity,” police said in a prepared statement.

The boy will be charged through the Westmoreland County Juvenile Probation Department, police said.

The threat was reported to police through the anonymous Safe2Say program. Police did not say how they tracked down the suspect.

Dozens of students were involved in the Snapchat group, and the administration said state police were informed that witnesses were being harassed, intimidated and/or bullied as a result of the arrest. Any student who was involved in the intimidation and harassment of witnesses or victims could be arrested and suspended or expelled from school, police said.

Superintendent Tammy Wolicki deferred comment to state police, who notified the administration of the investigation and arrest.

The threat comes a little more than a week after three male high school students were found on Oct. 2 passing two loaded handguns — a .38-caliber and a .22-caliber — on a school bus and in a school bathroom. That incident prompted a lockdown that lasted several hours and increased security at the school Oct. 3. Those students, whose identities were not released, were charged with felonies in juvenile court.

All three were charged with carrying a gun without a license, receiving stolen property and causing or risking catastrophe, as well as several misdemeanors. One is charged with theft.