A group of parents at Saint Ambrose Catholic School in Woodbury are demanding answers after learning that an individual who allegedly triggered a lockdown at the University of St. Thomas later appeared on their children’s campus.
The situation began Monday, Feb. 9, when the University of St. Thomas placed its St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses under a shelter-in-place order after allegedly receiving a message from Ryan Harrison Schacht, 46, claiming to be on campus with a firearm.
According to the criminal complaint, Schacht was under two active harassment restraining orders at the time of the incident, both of which prohibited him from having any contact with specific university employees and from being on University of St. Thomas campuses.
Despite those orders, on Feb. 9, Schacht contacted St. Thomas security and reported that he was on university property “in possession of a gun,” told staff he was going to the university president’s office, and stated that he was going to kill himself.
The complaint also includes a transcript of a phone call between Schacht and a university dispatcher. During the exchange, Schacht is quoted as saying, “I’m gonna kill someone if you don’t get the motherfucker on the phone!”
University officials placed the campus on lockdown following the statements, according to the filing. The university said the lockdown was lifted after authorities determined Schacht “was not on campus and did not present a threat to the community.”
The complaint also states that on that same day, Schacht went to an Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis office and “demanded to speak to supervisors and other members who were not in the building.”
“Schacht threatened to shoot himself in the head when he was denied. The woman Schacht spoke to thought Schacht had mental health issues,” the complaint says. “Schacht’s mother said her son recently divorced and is going through a mental health crisis.”
Police presence spotted on campus
A Saint Ambrose parent told Alpha News that when they went to pick up their child from school that same afternoon, they noticed a police officer on campus — something they described as out of the ordinary.
The parent said they asked the officer whether his presence was connected to the University of St. Thomas lockdown, and the officer confirmed it was.
“The officer told me the individual who made a threat against the university had also made a threat against someone here, and that police were on campus out of an abundance of caution,” the parent said.
The parent added that the revelation was alarming, particularly because the school did not go into lockdown or notify families right away, according to the parent.
“That’s when I thought, what the heck? The school clearly knew about this,” the parent said. “They did nothing to communicate that he might show up and provided no additional security measures — no lockdown, no indoor recess,” the parent said.
Police report details Schacht’s erratic behavior at school Mass
Two days later, on Feb. 11, Schacht appeared in person on the Saint Ambrose campus for an 8 a.m. Mass, where he was described as acting erratically.
According to the Woodbury police report, officers were dispatched to St. Ambrose around 7:57 a.m. for a “suspicious person” after staff reported that Schacht “had returned” to the property and was seen “screaming at himself and playing loud music” before entering the church.
An officer wrote that Schacht was initially stopped by security outside but entered the church anyway. When security asked him to leave, Schacht lifted up his shirt “exposing his waistband.” The report noted that no weapon was observed.
Schacht then took a seat in the front row and began disrupting the Mass that was scheduled to begin by “playing music on his cell phone,” the report says.
After security once again spoke with Schacht, he exited the sanctuary and asked what he had done. He then stated that he answered to “one person,” raised his middle finger, and began walking out of the church, according to the report.
Once officers verbally advised Schacht that he was being trespassed and could not return to the property, the report says he stated, “I’m unstoppable,” while repeating “you’ll see” and “unstoppable” as he left the building and drove away.
Schacht arrested later that day
According to a petition for an extreme risk protection order filed by the Oak Park Heights Police Department, later that day, police arrested Schacht after he allegedly made domestic threats in front of his children at his ex-wife’s residence in Oak Park Heights.
The petition states that there is a “long history of police reports involving Schacht and his mental health issues,” and describes “numerous other police contacts and reports involving the threats of suicide and firearms being mentioned proceeding back several years.”
The document also notes that Schacht was trespassed from Saint Ambrose Church after showing up unannounced and “caus[ing] fear and alarm,” and that he had previously been involved in a threat that prompted the University of St. Thomas to issue a lockdown.
The criminal complaint against him also references a Feb. 11 social media post showing “a picture of a rifle with the word ‘justice’” that Schacht shared on his LinkedIn page.
A judge granted the petition for an extreme risk protection order on Tuesday, which prohibits Schacht from possessing firearms.
Parents cite Annunciation shooting in expressing alarm
Parents said the situation was especially alarming because of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis last year during a morning Mass.
Several parents told Alpha News that the parallel heightened their concern, particularly because they say they have not noticed any increased security measures on campus since the incident.
As a result, parents said they took matters into their own hands, organizing a private fundraising effort to pay for an off-duty police officer to be present during the school Mass on Wednesdays. Parents said the cost is about $300 for three hours of coverage and that they created a SignUpGenius to fund the effort.
Parents have also launched a petition calling for “greater safety, transparency, and accountability at Saint Ambrose Catholic School.”
“The absence of clear communication in critical moments has significantly undermined trust,” the petition states.
St. Ambrose response
Saint Ambrose Catholic School provided Alpha News with the emails it sent to parents on Feb. 9 and again on Feb. 16, but did not directly answer specific questions.
In the most recent email, sent Feb. 16, the school stated that, “at this time, the individual has not been determined to be a direct threat to the Saint Ambrose community.”
“Saint Ambrose leadership continues to closely monitor the situation in coordination with a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement task force and our security team, and we are receiving ongoing updates,” the school said.
“We are following the guidance and direction of our security team and are prepared to implement additional safety and security measures if needed,” it added. “For safety and security reasons, we are not able to share specific details about campus security measures.”
In a separate note posted on the school website on Feb. 12, the principal acknowledged that there was a police presence on campus on Feb. 9.
“Police increased their presence at the request of our Saint Ambrose leadership and security team out of an abundance of caution following a separate incident connected to the University of Saint Thomas,” the note said.
The school also said that Schacht has previously attended Mass at St. Ambrose and that “current safety and security protocols will be met with additional heightened security measures both of which will remain in place for the foreseeable future.”
Schacht is facing one count of felony threats of violence. On Tuesday, a judge ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation before the case can proceed. Ramsey County jail records indicate that he was released on Tuesday and his next court appearance is scheduled for March 25.
