TEWKSBURY – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Tewksbury Chief of Police Timothy Sheehan and Billerica Chief of Police Daniel Rosa have confirmed that a 15-year-old male has been arrested and charged with threating use of a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime in connection with allegedly distributing a snapchat video that depicted him holding a weapon that looked like an assault rifle and threating to commit a school shooting. That weapon was later determined by police to be an airsoft rifle that shoots BBs.

Yesterday, at approximately 10:34 p.m. police responded to a Tewksbury home at the request of the juvenile’s mother who had located a video that depicted the male showing the airsoft rifle in an attempt to make it appear real and making threatening remarks. Police located the video and subsequently located the airsoft rifle and another airsoft handgun and took possession of them. No firearms were located in the home.

The juvenile is a student at Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School. The preliminary investigation suggests the video was distributed to four students at the school.

Investigators do not believe this video was circulated beyond these students; however they encourage anyone with information or who may have seen the video to contact Tewksbury Police at (978-851-7373).

Investigators are not aware of any existing threat to the school. The community may notice an increased police presence at the school today. This is out of an abundance of caution and to ensure police are available to address any remaining concerns of students, parents, school officials and the community. The student is in a supervised situation today and is not on the Shawsheen Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School campus.

The student will be arraigned in Lowell Juvenile Court today. With the exception of youthful offender cases, juvenile court proceedings are closed to the public.