Raleigh school shooting threat linked to ‘swatting’ of student who refused to carve skin
A police investigation into a recent shooting threat at Athens Drive Magnet High School has revealed a dark and dangerous online world that ensnared at least one local student.
It’s a world where faceless perpetrators try to coerce those they target to carve letters into their arms and watch child pornography. If they don’t, they risk public humiliation or a police raid.
An Athens Drive student was thrust into this chaos after he was added to a group chat on communication platform Discord in July, according to a Raleigh Police Department search warrant seeking access to information about users in the group.
A user identified as “kryl” commanded the unnamed Raleigh high school student to carve that user name on his arm. If the youth refused, “kryl” threatened to dox the youth by making his private information public, the warrant applications said. The harasser also threatened to take steps to convince local police that a violent crime occurred at the youth’s home.
That second act, known as swatting, is sometimes illegal bullying behavior that’s growing online.
The warrant indicates that “kryl” made good on the swatting threat, with a series of acts that escalated into an attempt to link the targeted Athens High student to a fake report that a “shooter” was at his high school.
Ugly, persistent harassment
Later in July, an online order to a local Pizza Hut to be delivered to the student’s Raleigh address included this note: “help he has a gun send help.”
Raleigh officers went to the residence, where the youth’s parents told them that they believed it was related to the youth being harassed on Discord.
Five days later, officers were again called to the youth’s home after a crisis center in Illinois received a false report of violence at the Raleigh residence. Also that month, someone made a false report accusing the targeted youth of bullying to the Wake County Public Schools System, the warrant states.
It was in September that an employee of the Domino’s Pizza on Western Boulevard received an order purported to be from the same student to be sent to Athens High. Included with delivery instructions was this text: “there is a shooter, help.”
The high school didn’t go into lockdown because police and school security “were familiar with the situation and knew the reported threat was not credible,” Sara Clark, a Wake County Public Schools System spokesperson, told The News & Observer in an email.
Security staff don’t track such reports but haven’t seen a widespread problem across the district, Clark said.
Not just wrong, this is criminal
In federal cases across the United States, people engaging in swatting and similar behavior have been charged with cyberstalking.
Raleigh police seeking the warrant in the local case said they were investigating crimes that include the false report of mass violence on educational property and second-degree exploitation of a minor, both felony state charges.
Online activity of members of the Discord group harassing the student show a history of users attempting to extort others who they don’t like or won’t follow their orders to carry out demands of hurting themselves or killing their pets, the warrants say.
Users identified as “Kryl” “matheopasquet” and “oppyusiums” operate through a chat once named “Ravenous” but that changed to “Kats,” the search warrant states.
People in this same group are believed to be involved in an effort to threaten and act against other Discord account users who they dislike or who do not carry out their demands, the warrant states.
Detectives found six photographs of individuals, likely youth, who had carved the name “kats” or “kry” into their legs or arms, the warrant states.
The group coerced the targeted Raleigh youth into watching child pornography, threatening to swat the student again if he didn’t, according to the warrant.
“If you leave, I’m swatting you,” a user told the student.
Rising reports of online ‘enticement’
In March, a collaboration among WIRED, Recorder and The Washington Post revealed an international ecosystem of online perpetrators who sometimes work in groups to victimize youth by harassing them, sending police to their homes and releasing photos or other private information about them.
Abusers have coerced victims into sexual abuse and harming themselves and their pets, WIRED reported. These abusers may be seeking money, power and entertainment, or content to sell on the dark web, WIRED reported.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports that online “enticement,” which includes this and other attempts to target children, is increasing rapidly.
Reports to the center jumped 300% between 2021 and 2023 and from 186,800 in 2023 to 456,000 as of October in 2024.
Perpetrators are located all over the globe, as are their victims, said Kathryn Rifenbark, director of the CyberTipline for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
They take advantage of a generation of kids who are looking for connections on social media and gaming platforms, making them vulnerable to experienced perpetrators, she said.
Parents should talk with their children about these online risks and teach them how to report abuse to law enforcement and the center’s CyberTipline, Rifenbark said.
In addition to efforts targeting children, there have been significant reports of swatting targeting adults — including politicians and celebrities — and institutions, according to news reports.
The FBI started a national online database on swatting incidents in May, NBC News reported.
The Raleigh Police Department didn’t immediately respond to questions about the local investigation, including whether an arrest has been made and whether they are investigating other threats.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was modified on Jan. 8 to remove inaccurate information from a police warrant stating emergency personnel were dispatched to Athens Drive Magnet High School after a fake report of a “shooter”.
Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
