Former MTU student files lawsuit over school

HOUGHTON — A former Michigan Tech student says he just wants to get on with his life but says he must first clear up confusion around his social media post.

Dickinson County resident Matthew Schultz appeared with his attorney for a press conference in Houghton Thursday. Schultz was the author of a Yik Yak post in November 2015 that reportedly said “Gonna shoot all black people. A smile tomorrow.”

The post was flagged and removed a few minutes later. A federal lawsuit filed against Michigan Tech states that the university received notification of that post followed shortly after by a second notification with an altered message of simply “Gonna shoot all black people……”

The lawsuit alleges that both notifications came from Houghton County resident and former Michigan Tech student Ryan Grainger. His attorney claims that Tech knew of the alteration but proceeded to warn the campus of a possible imminent threat anyways and Schultz was arrested later that evening.

He was arraigned on a charge of Disturbing the Peace a 90 day misdemeanor which was later dismissed. The Houghton County Prosecuting Office issued a statement following the arrest saying there was “no evidence to indicate an actual ongoing public danger, nor was there obvious evidence of motive or intent.”

Even though the charge was dropped, Schultz says he was still expelled. Schultz’s attorney accuses Michigan Tech of altering police reports and engaging in a cover up attempt at the expense of his client. They are seeking $75,000 in damages from the university.