'Bang bang:' 17-year-old from Sheboygan faces 5 felony terror charges over threatening Snapchat

SHEBOYGAN -- A 17-year-old boy from Sheboygan faces five felony counts of terrorist threats, use of a dangerous weapon after prosecutors said he was seen in a Snapchat video holding a rifle while threatening four minor schoolchildren and a school administrator.

The video was found in April during a search of a cellphone belonging to a friend of Zachary Adams in connection with another investigation.

A criminal complaint said the video was dated Oct. 6, 2019 and showed Adams with an assault-style rifle saying, "Bang, bang (victim's name) is dead."

Investigators interviewed all five of the people named in the video, and prosecutors said the first indicated he and Adams' friend (the phone's owner) used to date the same person, and Adams and his friend were "known to threaten others." Many of the victims said they were surprised, shocked and/or scared to learn of the video. One said Adams' friend had asked for their address "so they could beat them up." One said there had been a verbal altercation with Adams and his friend two days before the video was recorded -- on Oct. 4, 2019 during a sporting event.

At Adams' home, prosecutors said investigators showed the video to Adams' parents, and the boy admitted he recorded it at his parents' house and sent it to three friends. He said the victims he named were involved in disputes with his friend -- but he intended it to be a joke, according to the complaint. Adams' father confirmed the rifle was real -- and was his, prosecutors said.

An initial court appearance was scheduled for June 15.