FBI’s mistaken identity disrupts local family’s peace
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A local family’s peace was disturbed Monday morning when, at approximately 2:15 a.m., the Graham County Sheriff’s Office received a request from the FBI to assist in locating and speaking with an individual regarding possible threats made on social media. The request followed a notification from TikTok, which reported that an 18-year-old had posted a video around 2:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, allegedly referencing “shooting up his school.” The specific school was not identified in the post.
An FBI agent provided screenshots of the TikTok account’s profile page, which was active at the time of the reported threat, and identified a local 18-year-old man as the alleged user. The profile displayed only Kansas City Chiefs football team logos and lacked any visible threatening content or identifying information.
Sheriff’s deputies and a sergeant responded by visiting a residence in Safford, where they spoke with family members of the individual in question. The family confirmed the individual was present and expressed confusion about the inquiry, stating they were unaware of any concerning social media activity.
The FBI then informed the Sheriff’s Office that the phone number linked to the account, reportedly tied to a Moto G device, had been pinged to the Avondale area, although TikTok provided no video or specific threat details.
The family questioned also mentioned that the individual is not a football fan, while one family member supports the Philadelphia Eagles, a rival of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The individual, a student at Eastern Arizona College, cooperated with deputies, showing his TikTok account, which had last been active on Aug. 29, under a different username than the one reported. His account bore no resemblance to the profile provided by the FBI, and his phone number did not match the one associated with the reported threat. The family also confirmed they had no ties to Avondale.
After relaying this information to the FBI, the agent suggested the phone used in the alleged threat might be a burner phone. The FBI requested no further action at this time. The Sheriff’s Office continues to assist federal authorities as needed while emphasizing the importance of verifying social media-related reports to ensure community safety.
