Phoenix, AZ – Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced today that a juvenile has been arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat against Estrella Mountain Elementary School in Goodyear, Arizona. The threat was made while the teenager was online with peers and through text messages. Due to the defendant’s age, their name and additional details are being withheld.
“Children and parents need to realize these threats are taken extremely seriously,” said County Attorney Mitchell. “These are not just cases of ‘kids being kids.’ Even if no shot is fired, these threats disrupt lives, force schools to send kids home, and cause trauma that can have lasting effects.”
This incident follows a disturbing national trend of increased school threats and violence. A recent shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia left several dead, and earlier this week, a girl from Buckeye, Arizona, was arrested for threatening a school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since the start of September, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has received 11 cases involving juvenile threats to local schools.
The K-12 School Shooting Database reports that there were 349 school shootings in the U.S. in 2023, with 241 already recorded in 2024.
“Parents must have ongoing conversations with their children and monitor their online activity,” added Mitchell. “This is not a game, and these actions can have life-changing consequences.”
The juvenile will face adjudication through the juvenile justice system.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
For further information, contact the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
