North Strabane police investigate C-M ‘hit list’
North Strabane Township police are investigating a Canon-McMillan High School student who is accused of making a “hit list” with the names of other students.
The school district emailed parents Tuesday afternoon informing them about the hit list. According to North Strabane police Chief Brian Hughes, a student reported the list.
“So they went and pulled the suspect student out of class, brought him in, interviewed him, and that student admitted to having a list,” Hughes said.
He did not identify the student who created the list.
The list contained the names of two Canon-McMillan students, according to Hughes, who are friends of the suspect.
“I don’t think there was a big concern, because they’re all friends, and there was no blow-out. There was no argument. There was no blow-out that they would say, ‘I don’t talk to him anymore, this happened.’ It was nothing like that,” Hughes said.
However, Hughes said the student did have access to weapons at home, but does not any longer.
“The part that worried me was there was access, and you’re talking about it, and you made a list. Even though the list is questionable, you put your friends on there, but you made one. That’s concerning,” Hughes said.
Hughes said the student has not returned to school since the incident was reported.
According to Hughes, another Canon-McMillan student reported Wednesday that the suspect told them he had a second list containing the names of about 20 students in one of his classes. Hughes said the student who reported the list was only told about it and did not see it. Hughes added that police have not confirmed its existence.
“We took that information, located the suspect student again and reinterviewed that student about the second list. The student denied it,” Hughes said.
Hughes said police continue to investigate and have not decided whether the student will be charged.
Morgan Northy, Canon-McMillan School District’s director of public relations, said, “The appropriate disciplinary actions were taken,” but did not say how the student has been punished.
“We commend the students that saw something and said something,” Northy said.