With the recent uprise in school shootings — most notably the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida — everyone has been on high alert. The once safe havens for our children have become potential war zones, and the number of threats are only increasing as troubled kids see the media attention these massacres are getting.
Social media, in particular, has been a breeding ground for scheming shooters to relay their intentions to the masses. In many circumstances, these shootings are stemming from a cry for attention rather than a desire to be a cold-blooded killer, so it’s no surprise that people are using platforms like Instagram and Facebook to make their plans known — subtly or in some cases, overtly.
Late last month, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman may have been responsible for stopping a mass shooting in its tracks after spotting an alarming comment on his own Instagram account.
While visiting former teammate Danny Amendola in Texas, Edelman received an Instagram direct message that said, “Dude, there is a kid in your comment section says he [is] going to shoot up a school, I think you should alert the authority.”
Screenshot/New York Times
Edelman instantly had a flashback to the Parkland Florida shooting that killed 17 only a month ago, and thought of his own precious daughter.
“With the emotions of what happened, and I have a kid now, I said, holy Toledo, what is going on?” he said in an interview with The New York Times.
Edelman immediately alerted his assistant in Boston who called 911. Authorities traced the message back to a 14-year-old in Port Huron, Michigan. The teen boy confessed to posting the threat on Instagram, and police discovered two rifles in his home that belonged to his mother.
Captain Joseph Platzer of the Port Huron Police Department reported that the boy’s threat was targeted at the nearby middle school he attends. He is currently being retained in a juvenile-detention center and may face a felony “punishable by up to four years in jail” for a false threat of terrorism, according to the Times.
While the media is praising Edelman for his quick-thinking and proactive attempt to thwart another major tragedy, he says the Instagram follower who sent him the message is “the real hero.”
“Thankfully, this kid said something,” said Edelman. “We’re going to send him something, a care package, just for his work. He’s the real hero.”
“It’s not good enough anymore to disregard comments like those as offhanded,” added Edelman’s agent, Don Yee. “All of us, including players, are learning together to take these kinds of things very seriously.”
