Shaw, a Frostburg State University student who resides in West Virgina, was playing the game on Xbox Live with the Oregon-based Kaipo Damurand, and the two were communicating via voice chat. Shaw apparently threatened to begin "shooting up the school," and Damurand notified police of the comment.

While police worked with Xbox Live operator Microsoft to track down the location from which the threat originated, area schools were warned of a possible hostile action and operated under a state of alert. Both school staff and students were notified that a threat had been made.

Once arrested, Shaw claimed the threat was a joke, and no weapons were found in his immediate possession. In addition to being temporarily suspended from school, he is being charged with two counts of disrupting a school operation, which, at most, can result in one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.