CLAYTON, Mo. — A St. Louis County teen is now under arrest for allegedly posting fake plans for school shootings on Instagram. Sean Scott, 18, is accused of creating a social media account that shared images of weapons alongside a schedule targeting six local high schools over a two-week period. Scott is charged with making a terrorist threat and is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
Scott allegedly created an Instagram account and posted a picture of two large rifles. The post included captions suggesting planned shootings at several schools in the area, including Hazelwood East, Hazelwood Central, Hazelwood West, Hazelwood Southeast, Jennings High School, and Vashon with specific dates.
St. Louis County Police investigated the Instagram account, which led them to Scott’s house. After his arrest, Scott reportedly admitted to creating the account and the image, using a photo found on Google. He stated he did it because he was bored and didn’t want to go to school, knowing it would frighten many people.
Authorities in the St. Louis region are grappling with an alarming increase in school threats, which are straining resources for both schools and law enforcement. In just one week, nearly a dozen threats were made to schools on both sides of the Mississippi River, with some districts facing multiple incidents.
Making hoax threats can result in severe penalties, including up to five years in prison, with longer sentences if injuries or deaths occur. Law enforcement is urging the public to report threats directly to authorities or through Missouri’s , Courage2Report, either online, by phone call at 866-748-7047, or by texting “C2R” to 738477, rather than sharing them on social media.