Boardman police, schools investigate threats against a student involving gun

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A fourth-grade student told police he was surrounded and threatened with the use of a gun.

The boy, 9, told police he was surrounded by four students toward the end of Friday’s school day at Market Street Elementary. They told him they were going to come Saturday with “a bunch of ‘their strongest men’ to his house and shoot him,” the police report said. Or, they would bring the gun to school Monday and shoot him there.

Boardman Police Sgt. Chuck Hillman, a school resource officer, said he met with the fourth-grade students Monday along with school officials. “There was no gun brought to school,” Hillman said. “[We’re] still continuing to follow up at the school and with the parents.”

The boy also told police that he has had similar issues with the four boys. He told police he was threatened with a small pocketknife last school year on the playground. Another fourth-grade student talked with police and said she was threatened by the group. She told police the boys were going to “hit her in the face.”

“You get kids that become angry, and in most cases, they are idle threats,” said Frank Lazzeri, superintendent of Boardman schools. “These sorts of irresponsible comments are not uncommon. It’s not just here in Boardman; it’s universal.”

He added: We have addressed the situation, and we will take the necessary disciplinary actions to make sure this sort of irresponsible thing doesn’t happen again and all of our students are safe.”