A student who attends South Lyon High School near Detroit is spending his 18th birthday in jail after he threatened to re-enact the Florida high school shooting Wednesday.
According to South Lyon Police, Ryan Debruyne sent a 17-year-old friend a Snapchat on Friday, Feb. 16 asking if he wanted to re-enact the Florida shooting. The student said no and then called police.
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Saturday, Feb. 17, police tracked down Debruyne at his home. His parents allowed police in to interview him and he admitted to sending the message.
Debruyne’s family consented to a search of their home and the suspect’s vehicle and police found no guns he had access to.
He was transported to a local hospital for evaluation before being taken into custody.
On Tuesday, he was arraigned on charge of making a false report of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, according to Fox 2.
On Wednesday, Debruyne’s 18th birthday, he appeared before another judge for a probable cause hearing. He’s being held on a $10 million bond and remains in the Oakland County Jail.
South Lyon Community Schools have been on mid-winter break since Feb. 16, when Debruyne sent the Snapchat, and classes resumed Wednesday, Feb. 21 with increased police presence.
School administration sent the following email to parents over the weekend: “This courageous student promptly informed the local authorities this weekend of a potential threat regarding South Lyon High School. Due to these swift actions, the local authorities and our administration were able to work collaboratively to investigate and prevent any issues.”
Another high school in the Detroit area was put on lockdown Wednesday morning after a bullet was found in a hallway at Garden City High School. Police found no weapons after searching the school and the lockdown was lifted around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday with a modified school day.
The two Michigan thwarted threats came a few days after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Former student Nikolas Cruz carried out the attack with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle just before dismissal on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Cruz was arrested within two hours of the attack and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. He confessed to the killings and is expected to plead guilty in court.
Some argue that Cruz exhibited warning signs long before the shooting and that it could have been prevented had friends, family, school administrators or law enforcement taken action.
