Last year, a Kentucky man was arrested for posting Exodus lyrics on Facebook, with authorities expressing concern that the lines referred to a school shooting, Now, a 15-year-old rap fan has been arrested after posting similarly violent Eminem lyrics on Instagram.
The teenager hails from Fresno, CA, and the Fresno Bee reports that he quoted lines from Eminem's 2000 track "I'm Back" this Monday (August 31). The lyrics in question refer to the tragic Columbine school shooting of 1999. The teenager reportedly wrote:
I take seven kids from Columbine, stand 'em all in a line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a nine, a MAC-11 and it oughtta solve the problem of mine. And that's a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time. I'm just like Shady and just as crazy as the world was over this whole Y2K thing.
Notably, the boy added the words "just like" into the final sentence, seemingly comparing himself to the narrator of the song rather than simply quoting verbatim.
In response to the situation, San Joaquin Memorial High School was closed on Tuesday (September 1), as was the nearby St. Anthony's Catholic School. School authorities notified the police, who searched the sophomore's house. At the home, they found guns, ammunition and a bulletproof vest, and Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer said that authorities "have every reason to believe that there was potential for a threat to be carried out." The boy is said to be a "loner" and "socially awkward," according to Dyer.
Both the boy and his father have denied knowledge of the guns, which were not registered and were hidden in a basement accessed through the father's closet. Through his lawyer, the boy said he didn't make the Instagram post and his account was hacked. The lawyer also rejected claims that the teenager was depressed and had been bullied at school. The teen will undergo a mental health evaluation.
It remains to be determined whether the boy knew of the guns or had any intention of using them.
The teenager hails from Fresno, CA, and the Fresno Bee reports that he quoted lines from Eminem's 2000 track "I'm Back" this Monday (August 31). The lyrics in question refer to the tragic Columbine school shooting of 1999. The teenager reportedly wrote:
I take seven kids from Columbine, stand 'em all in a line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a nine, a MAC-11 and it oughtta solve the problem of mine. And that's a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time. I'm just like Shady and just as crazy as the world was over this whole Y2K thing.
Notably, the boy added the words "just like" into the final sentence, seemingly comparing himself to the narrator of the song rather than simply quoting verbatim.
In response to the situation, San Joaquin Memorial High School was closed on Tuesday (September 1), as was the nearby St. Anthony's Catholic School. School authorities notified the police, who searched the sophomore's house. At the home, they found guns, ammunition and a bulletproof vest, and Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer said that authorities "have every reason to believe that there was potential for a threat to be carried out." The boy is said to be a "loner" and "socially awkward," according to Dyer.
Both the boy and his father have denied knowledge of the guns, which were not registered and were hidden in a basement accessed through the father's closet. Through his lawyer, the boy said he didn't make the Instagram post and his account was hacked. The lawyer also rejected claims that the teenager was depressed and had been bullied at school. The teen will undergo a mental health evaluation.
It remains to be determined whether the boy knew of the guns or had any intention of using them.
