HOUGHTON, MI - A former Michigan Tech student says an altered online post led to his expulsion as the university made him the "poster boy for white hatred" to show it took racial issues seriously.

Matthew Schultz, a third-year student, said Michigan Technological University and campus police purposely misled students and media about his post on Yik Yak, a social-media app, despite knowledge someone else had altered it to appear as a threat to black people.

"While portraying themselves as 'good guys' and enlightened Administrators, fighting a demon that did not exist, Matthew was suspended by MTU and threatened with expulsion ... because he 'sent' an unspecified 'message' to MTU," attorney Steven Pence wrote in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Marquette.

University officials declined to comment.

The controversy erupted over Schultz's Nov. 12, 2015, post in response to comments about racial unrest and threats at the University of Missouri and MTU's own racial issues.

He wrote: "Gonna shoot all black people...... A smile tomorrow." It was followed by a smiley face.

"With the intent to point out the ridiculous nature of the threats ("shoot every black person") and the illiterate language used by racists ("gonna"), Matthew posted the following: 'Gonna shoot all black people...... A smile tomorrow,' meaning he is going to shoot a smile at black people, expressing, in a humorous way, that he is not racist."

The post was up for five minutes when it was flagged by another user and removed. Schultz thinks former MTU student Ryan Grainger took a screen shot of the post before flagging it.

Grainger then "tweeted" the screen shot to Les Cook, vice president of student affairs and advancement and said, "@LesPCook this is what your students think about the Mizzou terror threats," the lawsuit said.

After no discernible response, Grainger allegedly sent an email to MTU's Deputy Police Chief Brian Cadwell. It showed only, "Gonna shoot all black people," with the phrase, "A smile tomorrow" and the smiley face emoji, removed, the lawsuit said.

Other tweets with the altered post were sent to Cook and other MTU officials.

Less than an hour later, campus police issued a campus-wide alert "about an anonymous social media threat against 'members of our African American community,' even though MTU had received two very different posts forwarded from Defendant Grainger, at least one of which was not threatening at all and neither of which said anything about MTU," the lawsuit said.

Cadwell immediately sought an emergency request from Yik Yak for help identifying the author of the post, which he attached. Yik Yak said the post had been cropped and asked for the complete snapshot.

Yik Yak determined there was no threat but hours later identified Schultz in response to a search warrant. Police arrested Schultz for domestic terror, a 20-year felony.

Instead, he was charged with a misdemeanor, disturbing the peace, which was ultimately dismissed.

Campus police obtained a search warrant for Schultz's apartment but did not reveal that MTU had received two versions of the post.

The day after the post was discovered, a school spokesman, citing the altered post, told a television station: "The anonymous poster said they wanted to shoot all black people. We called Public Safety immediately. They sprang into action and we sent a note out to the entire campus informing them of the nature of the threat."

MTU did not mention the phrase, "A smile," the lawsuit said.

"Throughout the coming days, MTU officials continued to fan the flames of racial conflict, always using Matthew as a poster boy for white hatred ... ," Pence wrote.

The story had wide coverage in Michigan.

The school did not expose Grainger for allegedly altering the post but "instead knowingly perpetuated the myth that Matthew had written the altered post, in order to serve MTU's own political purposes," Pence wrote.

Grainger was not aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment.

Pence said the school organized a Nov. 15, 2015, rally for "racial harmony," and a march to pressure the prosecutor, who found "no obvious evidence of motive or intent" on Schultz's part, into filing more serious charges against him.

The lawsuit said the school had earlier been embarrassed by an event in which students wore "black face" and displayed a confederate flag.

"... Matthew would be sacrificed in the name of showing MTU's commitment to fighting racism," Pence wrote.

Schultz majored in mechanical engineering and was involved in the school's Formula Race Team. He grew up in Norway, Michigan, a couple hours away from MTU. He played high school football and was on the Honor Roll and earned awards in automotive technology.

He is white but a number of family members are biracial, including a cousin going to MTU this fall, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges the school also altered police reports, providing one report to Schultz's criminal attorney and a "new, fraudulent substitute" in another student's Freedom of Information request.

On Dec. 7, 2015, all charges were dismissed. The prosecutor cited "'communication problems' between him and MTU and (said) Matthew had threatened no one," the lawsuit said.

The same day, the school's conduct board held proceedings against Schultz. He and his attorney were not allowed in. He was placed him on probation for 18 months.

He appealed. He wrote: "The disturbance we have witnessed is a result of the edited post seen on live TV, and in numerous news reports before Yik Yak released facts."

Bonnie Gorman, associate vice president and dean of students, then reinstated the most serious charges against him and ordered him expelled with no right to appeal, the lawsuit said.

Schultz said he could have responded to allegations if the school had not withheld evidence.

His once-bright future is uncertain, Pence said.

"Presently, Matthew remains out of school with no hope of resuming his studies anywhere, having been labeled a virulent racist by a University with a history of botched investigations and an inability to do other than protect the institution and the lives of its administrative careerists, at any cost to the students or the truth," he said.

The lawsuit names the university and 11 school officials as defendants.