Lewis and Clark High School student suspected of threatening to shoot classmates charged with multiple felonies

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office has elected to charge a Lewis and Clark High School student accused of threatening to shoot his classmates with felony harassment.

The student, who is an adult, faces two counts of felony harassment for threats to kill and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a news release Sunday from the Spokane Police Department. Police said they plan to arrest him once he’s finished receiving medical and mental health care at a local hospital.

Spokane police will release the name of the suspect once the individual has been booked into Spokane County Jail, according to the news release.

Police originally believed the suspect was a juvenile, but now have documentation the suspect is actually an adult and will be charged as such, according to the news release.

The school was less than half-full Wednesday following a shooting threat posted the previous day. Students reported receiving the threats on their personal Instagram pages, leading them to believe they were coming from a student.

As a result, many parents elected to keep their kids home from school, all the while expressing frustration the school district and police department deemed the threats to be non-credible without offering a reason or explanation.

Police detained and interviewed a suspect Wednesday afternoon in connection with the threats. Rather than take him into custody, they instead worked with his parents to ensure he secured mental health treatment.

Police said last week felony charges would be forthcoming after forwarding their recommendation to prosecutors Thursday.