LUBBOCK, Texas – A man who threatened to shoot up a Lubbock elementary school was arrested and charged on Monday.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents received an anonymous tip about 29-year-old Stephen Patrick Furr’s alarming online activity on February 2, and he was taken into custody a day later after a more than five-hour standoff with SWAT, reports EverythingLubbock.
“The foresight of a single tipster – coupled with the prompt action of law enforcement – may have saved dozens of young lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham. “The adage holds true: If you see something, say something. You may help law enforcement avert a tragedy.”
Furr’s Threats to Shoot Up Texas School Posted on Social Media
According to the complaint, the FBI received a tip about threats posted on BlueSky, a microblogging site.
“Thinking about going out and buying a gun,” Furr posted. “When in Texas, shoot [expletive] [expletive] am I right? Good thing I live next to an elementary school.”
Related Article: 12 Times ‘See Something, Say Something’ Saved Lives
The posts escalated from there.
“Will be fun to legally shoot up a school,” Furr posted. “I can already smell the blood.”
“Anyone wanna sign my gun?” he added.
The suspect also posted images from the March 2019 shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 51 people and injured 89 more.
According to the complaint, Furr was “disheveled and unkempt.” He allegedly screamed incoherent profanities and stated that he would not talk to the agents until the President confirmed their identity.
Police also contacted the suspect’s family members who said he had also threatened them.
He has been charged with interstate threatening communications.
