KY teacher charged; allegedly told students he only had a few days to ‘shoot up’ school

An Oldham County High School teacher on Wednesday faced a criminal charge after admitting to police he told students “he would become the next school shooter.”

According to a police citation, Michel J. Tripp was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening in Oldham District Court.

On May 22, an Oldham County High school student alerted school staff that a teacher told a group of students “he has a few days left to shoot up the school,” police officials said.

School staff alerted the Oldham County Police Department.

During a recorded interview, the student repeated the story: The married 65-year-old teacher told him and several other students he only had a few more days to shoot up the school, said the citation obtained by the Herald-Leader Thursday.

During a recorded interview with police, Tripp waived his Miranda rights warning. He said he did make a comment about school shootings and that “he would become the next school shooter.”

“The offenders’ comments created a fear of death or serious physical injury among students, parents and school personnel,” the police report said.

On Wednesday night, Oldham County High School principal Natalie Brown sent families a message district officials shared Thursday with the Herald-Leader.

It said late Wednesday afternoon, high school administrators were alerted to a “concerning, threatening statement made by a teacher in front of students.”

Brown told families Oldham County Police cited a teacher for terroristic threatening. The teacher will not be on campus for the remainder of the school year, Brown said.

Tripp is due in court at 1 p.m. May 29.

This story was originally published May 23, 2024 at 4:54 PM.