Say What Now? 13-Year-Old Arrested for Telling Siri He Was Going to ‘Shoot Up a School’

A 13-year-old boy in Indiana was arrested and is currently being held by authorities on charges of intimidation after telling Siri he was going to shoot up a school.

via Complex:

According to police in Valparaiso, Indiana, the unidentified middle school student was visiting family when he told the Apple digital assistant that he wanted to shoot up a school. Siri responded with a list of nearby schools and he posted a screenshot to his social media accounts. He was reported by his social media connections to police in his hometown of Chesterton, who passed the information, leading to his arrest. 

Police have determined that the threat was not viable, however, he is being held in a juvenile detention center while authorities investigate. 

“The male made no direct threat to a specific person, school, or school system. It has since been discovered the male has no access to weapons and posted the picture on social media as a joke,” police wrote in a statement shared to their Facebook. “The threat is not believed to be credible at this time; however, these types of communications are taken very seriously by the Valparaiso Police Department and our community. We continue to work with the Valparaiso Community Schools to ensure the safety of the students and staff.

“The male is being detained at the Porter County Juvenile Detention Center on a charge of Intimidation,” they added. “The incident will remain under investigation by the Valparaiso and Chesterton Police Departments.”

The threat comes nearly a year after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Last week, the father of one of the children killed posted a “stand-up set” about losing a child in response to recently leaked Louis C.K. jokes that mock the survivors of that shooting. 

We’re relieved to hear authorities are taking this seriously instead of turning a blind eye and letting the unthinkable happen.