Student accused of making terrorist threats toward southwest Las Vegas high school

The threat involved plans for a mass shooting at the southwest Las Vegas high school in the near future, school district police Capt. Ken Young said. The 15-year-old boy was taken into custody at the high school on Thursday.

Desert Oasis has an enrollment of about 2,300 students.

Young said the threat was uncovered thanks to students who had overheard it and reported it. One tip also came to school police from a parent in Arizona.

That parent overheard his or her child video chatting with students here about rumors of the threat.

It is common for school police to investigate rumors, Young said. “In this particular case the information turned out to be good.”

Young said the Metropolitan Police Department’s bomb squad unit responded to the boy’s home and uncovered additional evidence.

Details about that evidence were not released Monday, and little is known about the boy who was arrested. Criminal records for juveniles are not made public unless the youth is certified to be tried as an adult.

Police would not discuss any evidence recovered, including whether they found a manifesto or any weapons. The student is being held at Clark County’s juvenile detention center.

Yet Young said the threat did not appear to stem from any sort of vendetta and was only site-specific. Police are still investigating the motive.

“The case is still under investigation,” according to an email from school principal A.J. Adams to staff, “all I can say is that a student made a very real threat towards our students and our campus.”

According to a message from Adams to parents on Monday, “Metro acted quickly to ensure that there was no longer a threat to our students or to our school.”

The juvenile division of the Clark County district attorney’s office is still collecting evidence from the school district that could determine whether the student will face the charge as an adult, said Brigid Duffy, the division’s director.

Young reminded parents to be aware of what is going on with their children and the conversations they have with their friends.

“This was in part thanks to a parent that was being nosy, thanks to a parent that was paying attention,” he said.

Desert Oasis High School is at 6600 W. Erie Ave.

The news came as police presence was heightened Monday at Las Vegas Academy because of a clown-related threat on Instagram.

Metro and school district police believed the post to be a hoax or prank, according to a message sent out to parents from Principal Scott Walker.

Students celebrating Halloween at the school in downtown were barred from wearing clown costumes.

Review-Journal writer Rachel Hershkovitz contributed to this report. Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0391.