A Fairport man has been arrested after police say he made threats about attacking a school.
Kyle Hunter Gordon, 19, of Fairport was arrested for making a terroristic threat, a felony offense.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, and Fairport Police conducted an investigation with the Joint Terrorism Task Force. They say Gordon had told individuals that he was going to attack a school at a future date.
A former friend and classmate of Gordon’s from Fairport High School, Andrew Hyman, told News 8 he was surprised to hear of Gordon’s arrest, because Gordon always seemed relaxed and had a laid-back personality.
“It’s kind of sad. I would have never guessed a kid like that would do that. I hope nobody that I’ve known or in this community would ever think of something like that,” said Hyman, of the allegations against Gordon.
The investigation into the alleged threat began August 9th, after a larceny at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Victor. When Ontario County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, they charged Gordon and a 16-year-old girl with drug possession, and a 23-year-old man with petit larceny.
An employee of the store told News 8 another employee handed over a piece of paper to police that had fallen out of Gordon’s pocket.
Gordon admitted to investigators he created a list of items, some of which he had already gathered, including .22 caliber ammunition, shotgun shells, metal pipes, and knives, investigators said.
Fairport Police Chief Sam Farina said, “When somebody starts to act upon a list, that’s more than just talking. The overt act itself becomes concerning, and that’s why we need to get involved.”
After their initial investigation, Farina said police were tipped off by someone else who was concerned about Gordon and the alleged threats against hurting schoolkids.
Shortly after, Gordon was charged with making a terroristic threat.
“The [Monroe and Ontario County] Sheriff’s Office, the Fairport Police, the [JTTF], all of the police community are quick to work together when we get these serious situations, and as a result now we have somebody in jail and off the streets that may have potentially been a problem,” said Chief Farina.
Hyman said he had no idea why Gordon would want to harm other kids, but did mention he had been involved with drugs.
“It’s good that they caught him. Good for whoever could have been affected by this and good for him, because he’s going to get some help, and i think that’s probably the most important thing,” said Hyman.
Chief Farina said there is no additional threat to the community, as investigators are confident Gordon was acting alone and did not have any help.
Police would not disclose what items from Gordon’s list were recovered, if any. Investigators also learned that Gordon was actively seeking to obtain a gun.
Chief Farina added there’s a potential for additional charges to be brought forth by other jurisdictions in this case.
A spokesperson for the Fairport Central School District released this statement on Wednesday evening:
“The Fairport Central School District was notified by the Fairport Police Department regarding the arrest of a Fairport resident for making terrorist threats. According to Fairport Police there were no specific threats made toward the Fairport Central School District. The safety of students and staff is the highest priority. Be assured, when health and safety situations arise within our community, we work closely with local authorities to be well informed.”
Gorden was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and remanded to the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing.
