Homer area schools were under a soft lockdown Tuesday following a threat of a school shooting, according to the Homer Police Department.
Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Anchorage FBI told police that a 16-year-old Homer teenager posted on TikTok that he was going to shoot up a school and be the “next serial killer,” according to a statement from police. The specific school under threat was not identified.
Homer police contacted the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and suggested a “soft” lockdown while state troopers headed to the teenager’s residence outside of city limits, according to the statement.
“A soft lockdown is a heightened awareness and locked doors, but classes remain and students can go about indoors,” said Lt. Ryan Browning in a statement.
Troopers detained the suspect and notified the district that it could ease the lockdown.
“We let them know once we were in contact with [the suspect] and didn’t feel any immediate threat to the schools, and then again when he was in custody,” Browning said.
The teenager — unidentified by police — was arrested and taken to the Kenai Peninsula Youth Facility, in Kenai.