A Fridley, Minn., man is facing a felony charge of making threats of violence after authorities say he admitted to threatening to carry out a shooting at Columbia Heights High School last week.
Mario De’Pree Rhodes, 20, is also charged with making a false 911 call with the intent of prompting an emergency response by law enforcement, a gross misdemeanor.
The event unfolded midday Thursday at the high school when a male called 911 with a message that “there’s gonna be a school shooting at Columbia Heights High School,” before the caller hung up, according to later statements by both the school district and the Columbia Heights police department.
Columbia Heights police and public schools report that a person was taken into custody from Fridley this afternoon who threatened a shooting at the high school. The suspect is not a student and did not call from the school grounds. pic.twitter.com/t20VciSVRk
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 19, 2024
The school was put into lockdown while police worked to identify the source of the threat. According to the criminal complaint, the police central communication center was able to track the call to a residence on 3rd Street Northeast in Fridley, and police determined the phone number was connected to Rhodes, who resides in an apartment building on the 5200 block.
Police made contact with Rhodes, who did not deny placing the call but told police that he saw something on Instagram about a shooting taking place. A crime analyst searched social media in an attempt to corroborate Rhodes’ claims but did not locate any posts implicating a threat to the high school.
Rhodes was ultimately arrested and, after being mirandized, agreed to give a statement. He told police that he was “being an a–hole” and was trying to pull a prank on his girlfriend, who attended the high school. He stated that if the school went on lockdown, he intended to text her and ask what was going on and then tell her he was the reason behind the lockdown. Rhodes acknowledged to police that his actions would reasonably have caused fear and alarm in the approximately 1,500 students that attend the school.
Rhodes made his first appearance in Anoka County District Court on Friday and was granted a public defender. Rhodes appears to have been released from custody following the hearing, and is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 3, 2025.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
