Two teenagers in Connecticut may be expelled from their high school after allegedly wearing Columbine costumes on Halloween and making violent threats. The students reportedly attended a Halloween party dressed in "trench coats and sunglasses," according to Litchfield Public Schools superintendent Lynn K. McMullin. "Both boys are so remorseful for their stupidity," David Moraghan, the students’ lawyer, tells the New York Times.
The students, both juveniles, were ultimately charged with making criminal threats, inciting injury to persons or property, and breach of peace. According to Gawker, details surrounding the incident are still "vague," adding that McMullin has apparently acknowledged "there was no credible threat" and other students "were never in physical danger." Moraghan admits that one of the students made a "sarcastic response" to a group who approached them and commented that their costumes resembled the Columbine High School killers, though he maintains there was nothing sinister afoot.
One person in that group reportedly relayed the encounter to her parents, who promptly notified local police. The students’ phones and homes were then searched, according to Moraghan. "Any threat made in Connecticut is taken very seriously because of what happened here," longtime resident James O’Shea tells the Times, referring to the 2012 Sandy Hookshooting. "You can’t joke about something so lethal." Other residents, though agreeing the students’ choice of costume was in poor taste, disagree with the potentially life-altering punishments ahead. "It’s a prank," Joe Radano tells the Times. "They shouldn’t be charged with a felony. You’re going to ruin a kid’s life."
