BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A Belleville East High School sophomore found herself at the center of a reported threat that shut down two schools Wednesday.
"It happened so fast, it's still unbelievable,” she said.
She asked us not to show her face or use her name, but she tells us her boyfriend, Derek Burton, has been feuding with someone else who's interested in her, and that feud escalated.
"He felt like he had to do what he had to do to defend [himself],” she said.
Police say he made a threat against students at the school.
Burton's mom called police when he was missing early Wednesday morning along with her gun.
The school district canceled classes because they say there was a credible threat. Some reports say his girlfriend was his target, but she says that’s not true. And she doesn't believe he would hurt anyone.
"He's never been violent. He's not from the streets. He's a good kid,” the girlfriend said.
She says police took Burton into custody at her house a couple of hours after the district called off classes for the day.
"Last time I saw him is when the police took him. I've been waiting on a call, but I still haven't gotten a call,” she said.
She says she’s worried about him, and she thinks he should be free.
"I felt like it was blown out of proportion. This was a nothing problem and it turned into something,” she said.
