ALABAMA — A 17-year-old student has been charged after allegedly threatening to carry out a shooting at DeKalb County High School.
According to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, rumors of a possible shooting began circulating among students on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
A student on a school bus reportedly heard about the threats and emailed the principal, who then contacted the school resource officer and the sheriff’s office.
Investigators, including a detective and a Department of Homeland Security agent, interviewed the student who sent the email and other students on the bus, which led them to the 17-year-old suspect.
Authorities said the student allegedly admitted to making the threats, though no weapons or threatening notes were found in his room. He did not indicate whether he intended to carry out the threats.
Further investigation revealed that the student warned another student not to attend school on Thursday, Aug. 28, stating he planned to “bring a gun and carry out a shooting, something his brother couldn’t do last year,” according to Sheriff Patrick Ray. The 17-year-old’s brother had made a similar threat last year and faced charges.
The student has been named in a juvenile petition charging him with making a threat of mass violence on school property.
The petition stated, in part: “On August 27, 2025, a 17-year-old juvenile did verbally state to another student at DCHS, ‘Don’t come to school tomorrow. I’m going to bring a gun and do a shooting’. The juvenile also told the student, ‘I am going to do something my brother couldn’t.’”
The 17-year-old was taken into custody Wednesday evening and is being held at a detention center pending a juvenile court hearing. No additional details have been released.
