The details
According to the HCSO, on Oct. 16, a generic threat that referenced school violence was sent out on social media and affected several school districts across Texas. A second screenshot was shared on social media later in the day and specified a threat to a school in Hays CISD that would occur around 1:30 p.m.
Around 1:30 p.m. an incident occurred at Hays High School that was not related to the online threat and involved fire alarms being set off.
“This caused further confusion and caused several students to leave campus, caused alarm to the entire community, and hundreds of parents rushed to the school to find their children,” HCSO officials said in a news release.
A closer look
A school resource officer learned a 16-year-old student could be responsible for sending the second screenshot and was at Hays High School. Through an interview with the sheriff’s office, officers discovered the student altered the screenshot to specify a threat to a campus in HCISD as a joke. The student shared it with several students and ultimately posted on social media, according to the HCSO.
Due to the suspect being a juvenile, the sheriff’s department will not identify the person taken into custody.
The Austin Regional Intelligence Center, the HCSO, SROs and district officials coordinated in the investigation, according to a news release.
