Police detained a Hillhouse High student who allegedly posted a threat to shoot up the school.
An estimated 150 Hillhouse students stayed home Wednesday after the threat circulated Tuesday on Instagram.
“I’ll leave my gun in a bag outside the door in one of the exits and later in the day I’ll just grab it without nobody knowing,” the post read. “I’ma shoot the police officers first since they have guns, then I’m shoot anybody I see I, I’ma also bring bombs and grenades to throw at class rooms since I know kids are hiding in them, after that I’m going through every floor and every door, m also gonna be dropping gas out of a jug behind my back as I walk through the school and THEN when I’m done I’ll throw a lighter on the gas trail and the whole school finna be on fire and it’s that easy.
“I can do that in less than 20 minutes. I can also plant bombs in each window AT night then ignite them through the day.”
After learning of the threat, NHPD detectives tracked down the IP location of the Instagram account, then tracked down the 15-year-old student who posted the threat.
“The student has admitted to making the post and claimed it was a joke,” police spokeswoman Capt. Rose Dell wrote in a release issued Wednesday.
She reported that the student underwent a mental health evaluation at the hospital and, as the investigation continues, faces potential criminal charges.
“We take threats of violence very seriously, and we will do everything in our power to investigate and address these threats,” the release quotes Police Chief Karl Jacobson as saying.
School officials informed Hillhouse parents Tuesday evening about the threat, according to Board of Education spokesperson Justin Harmon. The district sent two more messages Wednesday morning: First to report that an extra police presence would be on hand at the school, then, around 7:30 a.m., that the person making the threat was in custody. The estimate of 150 students staying home is based on the typical daily attendance count, Harmon said.