Authorities investigating Phoenix high school after social media threat
Oct 29, 2018, 8:35 AM | Updated: 9:44 am
(Google Maps screenshot)
(Google Maps screenshot)
PHOENIX — Officers were on campus at a Phoenix high school after a threat was made on social media early Monday morning.
Sgt. Vince Lewis, a spokesman with the Phoenix Police Department, said officers were at Desert Vista High School investigating the threat, but added that nothing had been substantiated.
Tempe Union High School District said on its website that students were encouraged to attend class and asked parents not to take their children out of school.
“We understand that this can be scary for parents but know that the safety of your child is our top priority. The school is operating normally,” district officials said in a statement.
The “veiled” threat tagged the school, Lewis said, and warned people to “report, don’t repost” the threat if they see it online.
Lewis said parents seeking more information should contact the school.
The incident came on the same day that a student was shot and killed at a North Carolina high school during a fight in a crowded school hallway.
The student accused of firing the fatal shot was arrested quickly as investigators secured the campus at Butler High School in Matthews, about 12 miles (19 kms) southeast of Charlotte, said Matthews Police Department Capt. Stason Tyrrell.
The male student who was shot died at a hospital, Tyrrell said. He said the suspect, also male, was quickly taken into custody by a school resource officer as others rushed to the scene as backup.
Students remained inside with the school on lockdown for about two hours after the shooting. Classes resumed as normal later that day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
