Freshman arrested after claiming shooting was eminent

A Central Senior High School student was arrested when he told fellow classmates he planned to shoot an alleged gunman.

The 15-year-old freshman boy is accused of passing notes to two high school girls Friday claiming that he heard a shooting would take place, police spokesman Jason Selzer said.

The boy told the girls he did not want them to get hurt and asked them to get out of the school when the shooting occurred, according to Selzer.

"He would take care of the shooters, and they would take them [the alleged shooters] out in body bags," Selzer said the boy's note read.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department school resource officer was notified about the notes at 11:45 a.m., and the boy was take to the Juvenile Detention Center within 45 minutes later, Selzer said.

The boy was cited into juvenile court for making a terrorist threat.

"He's threatening to shoot someone, even though there was allegedly going to be another shooter," Selzer said. No weapon was ever found, and police found nothing to indicate there was actually going to be a shooting at the school.

Superintendent David Scala said the incident was under investigation and officials were reviewing what, if any, disciplinary action to take against the student. The boy's threats were not aimed at any particular student or school personnel.

"We don't know if he was trying to impress someone or was responding to something he had heard," Scala said.

In an unrelated case from Thursday, a 17-year-old Chaffee, Mo., student was charged with felony making a terrorist threat.

Aaron Volkerding was arrested at his home Thursday after police learned he allegedly told people over the Internet that he would kill several people at Chaffee High School, according to a probable-cause statement.

Bond for Volkerding was set at $5,000.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

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