Campus Alert Archive
TMCC

Facebook Shooting Threat Shuts Down All Belcourt Schools and Tribal College for Days During Post-Parkland Wave

NDthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On February 22, 2018 -- just eight days after the Parkland, Florida school shooting -- a threat to shoot up schools appeared on Facebook and prompted a lockdown of all Turtle Mountain Community Schools and Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, North Dakota. Students were sent home before noon, and a second day of threats led administrators to cancel classes for the rest of the week. Two individuals were apprehended in connection with the threats.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Turtle Mountain Community College
Tribal College · ND
~650 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction188 chars
TMCC ALERT: A threat has been received targeting schools in Belcourt. The college is under lockdown as a precautionary measure. Do not enter or leave buildings. Await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from multiple North Dakota TV station reports; exact TMCC alert text not available in public sources
Turtle Mountain tribal leaders were first alerted to the threat via a Facebook post on the morning of February 22, 2018
The threat coincided with the national wave of school threats following the February 14, 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida
All schools, TMCC, tribal buildings, and the Skydancer Casino were placed under temporary lockdown as a precautionary measure
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction182 chars
TMCC ALERT: Students are being dismissed for the day as a precautionary measure. Classes are cancelled for the remainder of Thursday. BIA law enforcement is investigating the threat.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from KFYR-TV reporting; the district sent students home shortly before noon after the initial lockdown was partially lifted
Students were dismissed early rather than given a full all-clear, reflecting continued uncertainty about the threat
FOLLOW-UPUnknown
Approximate reconstruction254 chars
TMCC ALERT: Classes at all Turtle Mountain Community Schools and TMCC are cancelled for the remainder of the week. Two individuals have been apprehended in connection with the threats. Please monitor official channels for updates on next week's schedule.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from KFYR-TV reporting on the class cancellation; exact text not confirmed
A second day of threats on Thursday prompted the Friday cancellation decision
An eighth-grade male student was identified as one of those apprehended by BIA law enforcement
Context

Background

Turtle Mountain Community College serves the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians on their reservation in Rolette County, North Dakota, near the Canadian border. On February 22, 2018, tribal leaders saw a threatening Facebook post targeting the Belcourt schools, triggering an immediate community-wide lockdown. The incident occurred eight days after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, during a period of hundreds of school threats nationwide. TMCC, K-12 schools, tribal administration buildings, and the Skydancer Casino were all locked down simultaneously. Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement investigated, and two individuals were quickly apprehended, including at least one student. A second threat on Thursday prompted administrators to cancel classes through the rest of the week. The incident illustrates how tribal colleges -- which share campuses and communities with K-12 schools -- are deeply affected by the same threat dynamics that impact reservation-based schools, and how a single social media post can shut down an entire reservation community's educational and governmental functions.
Analysis

Key Findings

The threat arrived during the national wave of school threats following the Parkland shooting, showing that reservation schools and tribal colleges are not insulated from national threat trends
Tribal leaders first learned of the threat through Facebook, demonstrating the dual role social media plays in both spreading threats and enabling rapid community response on reservations
All community institutions -- K-12 schools, tribal college, tribal government, and casino -- were simultaneously shut down, reflecting the integrated nature of reservation community life
BIA law enforcement handled the investigation, as TMCC has no independent campus police force and relies on tribal and federal agencies for security
Outcome
Classes cancelled Thursday through Friday. Two individuals apprehended by Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement. An eighth-grade male student was among those taken into custody. No weapons were found.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Threat prompts temporary school lockdown in Belcourt, students dismissed early - KFYR-TV
    kfyrtv.com
  2. News
    UPDATE: Belcourt classes cancelled for rest of week, two apprehended - KFYR-TV
    kfyrtv.com
  3. News
    Schools in Belcourt, ND placed on lockdown due to safety issue - Valley News Live
    valleynewslive.com
Tags
threat-of-violencesocial-media-threatfacebooktribal-collegenorth-dakotapost-parkland-wavebia-law-enforcementcommunity-wide-lockdownschool-cancellationHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion