Threat of Violence at “DL” High School Likely Linked to Detroit Lakes Student

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – There was an increased police presence at Detroit Lakes High School after an anonymous threat was called into a news tipline, Tuesday.

At the time, law enforcement was unsure if the threat of violence at a “DL” high school was meant for Detroit Lakes or Devils Lake. Extra law enforcement was present in both communities with students in Detroit Lakes having their bags searched upon entering the building.

Detroit Lakes Superintendent Mark Jenson and Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd indicated, Tuesday afternoon in a letter to families that the threat was likely from a student in Detroit Lakes after receiving information that a student within the district had also posted on social media that they were going to “shoot up the school.”

“Thankfully these students promptly reported this information to school officials and the situation was dealt with immediately. Throughout all of this, district staff and law enforcement have worked seamlessly together and we feel that the situation has been resolved and that the two incidents were related.”

The letter indicated that the individuals responsible have been identified and dealt with in an appropriate manner by both school officials and law enforcement.

Detroit Lakes Police will continue to maintain a presence at some district buildings to ensure the safety of students and staff. The incident remains under investigation.

Dear Laker Families and Community Members,

It has been a very busy day here in the district and local law enforcement. We wanted to reach out with some information regarding a couple of events that took place today. As many of you may already know, local law enforcement shared information with the school district early this morning regarding a possible threat of violence at DL High School. The threat was made via an anonymous tip line at a news outlet in Fargo. Due to the nature of the call, police were unable to determine if the caller was referring to Detroit Lakes or Devils Lake. Out of an abundance of caution law enforcement and school district officials collaborated and agreed to have a larger than normal police presence at the high school today.

As this was occurring, students at a different school within the district reported that a student had posted on social media a statement that they were going to “shoot up the school”. Thankfully these students promptly reported this information to school officials and the situation was dealt with immediately. Throughout all of this, district staff and law enforcement have worked seamlessly together and we feel that the situation has been resolved and that the two incidents were related.

Safety is one of our highest priorities at DLPS and DLPD, and consequences will be severe for individuals that threaten harm to our students or staff. We are encouraged to know that students felt able to bring the information forward so school officials could address the concerns. At this time, we feel that the matter has been resolved. The individuals responsible have been identified and dealt with in an appropriate manner by both school officials and law enforcement.

Law enforcement cannot release details of any ongoing investigations, and names cannot be released. DLPD will continue to maintain a presence at some district buildings to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Thank you for your continued support and have a great day.

Superintendent Mark Jenson and Chief Steve Todd