The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the student responsible for posting a new shooting threat on Snapchat about Oak Ridge High School, and charges are pending, city and school officials said Wednesday.
“ORHS had another social media shooting threat last night,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a brief statement. “The juvenile suspect was identified overnight, and the threat was determined not viable. Charges are forthcoming. School continued as normal this morning.”
The new Snapchat threats were posted at about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, after two students were identified as being responsible for a previous threat posted Monday, according to information from Oak Ridge Schools.
“We immediately contacted the Oak Ridge Police Department and are pleased to share that they have been successful in identifying the student responsible for posting these threats,” school officials said. “We are appreciative of their expedient action and resolve of this safety concern.”
Families received a phone call about the new threats early Wednesday.
The new threats follow a shooting threat posted on Snapchat on Monday, which led to a lockdown at Oak Ridge High School that lasted several hours.
“As always, student and staff safety is our first priority,” the school system said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, ORHS Principal Garfield Adams told families in an email that the Monday threat was a hoax, and there was never any malicious intent. The City of Oak Ridge said ORPD has determined no weapons were involved, but charges are pending. It’s not clear if the students will be expelled, although parents have asked about that or advocated it. Adams said student disciplinary information is confidential.
“We will assign the appropriate and necessary disciplinary actions,” he said.
The threats have occurred about a week after a mass shooting that killed four students and injured other people at Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30.
In the past several days, other parents in several communities across the United States have reported other social media threats and shooting rumors that have led to school lockdowns, scared and angry families, and some children staying home from school.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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