Carnegie Mellon student accused of making 'credible threat'

A Carnegie Mellon student is facing numerous charges after allegedly making what police deemed a “credible threat” through a campus website.

Derek Li, 18, is accused of posting the message via a course’s anonymous student feedback section, which was received by a faculty member.

“Sometimes, I wish I could just go onto a roof with a sniper rifle,” the note began. "People are just people, no matter how much more they aspire to be. It takes a loaded gun in the hand and the power to kill to realize that."

Li was detained while leaving a class on Wednesday. He's charged with disorderly conduct and terroristic threats.

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According to a criminal complaint obtained by Channel 11, the suspect admitted to sending the note, but stated he copied it from Reddit.

Li reportedly told police he did not own a gun.

Campus officials sent a statement to Channel 11, saying the student has been removed from the campus.

The following message was sent to the CMU community:

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community,

Yesterday, an investigation by University Police and federal authorities resulted in criminal misdemeanor charges against one of our undergraduate students, resulting from an anonymous message posted on an internal web platform. The message, which is captured in court documents and has been reported in local news accounts, contained threatening language and deeply disturbing imagery.

Our first concern, at all times, is the safety and security of our community. No threat is acceptable, and we must take any threat seriously. In this case, CMU faculty, staff and police — in close consultation with federal authorities — acted swiftly to assess and address the situation. The student has been removed from our community, and we are confident our community is not in danger. Because the matter involves a student and is the subject of an ongoing legal process, we do not intend to make additional details of the incident public.

Throughout the nation, we are grappling with an unconscionable level of mass violence. As a university and as individuals, it falls to each of us to remain vigilant. We appreciate the seriousness with which all of you take that responsibility. And we once again urge any member of our community who perceives a specific threat to report their concerns immediately. The stakes are too high to rest on anything less.

Sincerely,
Farnam Jahanian
Interim President
Carnegie Mellon University

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