Girl, 12, admits to making school social media threat that circulated widely, St. Paul police say
A 12-year-old girl told police that she’d made a social media threat against schools that has been widely circulating, St. Paul police said Thursday.
The suspect “admitted to posting the threats about St. Paul schools and did not have the means or desire to carry out the threat,” police wrote in a social media update. “There is no ongoing threat at this time, but we don’t know if this is the only person sharing these disturbing messages.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Fusion Center “has identified several social media posts in the last 48 hours threatening gun violence at multiple schools throughout Minnesota,” Jill Oliveira, BCA spokeswoman, said Thursday morning.
A threatening social media post that named 22 schools in St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville and Little Canada led two charter schools in St. Paul to close on Thursday. Community School of Excellence and HOPE Community Academy both posted on social media that they made the decision to close “to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”
Earlier, St. Paul and Roseville police said they didn’t believe the threats were credible. Schools in both districts were open Thursday.
Official attendance numbers for St. Paul Public Schools weren’t available Thursday, but “anecdotally some schools have reported higher absences today due to the false threats,” said Erica Wacker, SPPS spokesperson.
“In the wake of acts of violence targeting schools across the nation, we understand and feel the very real fear families and community members faced when students were sent to school,” the St. Paul school board said in a Thursday statement. “Our buildings are spaces of safety, trust and learning, but when that safety is threatened, we know that the impact is felt across our community. We are committed to working with students, families and leaders to proactively address safety concerns and the communication that follows during moments of fear.”
The St. Paul school district sent a Wednesday night letter to parents, saying they’d been “made aware of nationwide rumors circulating within our school communities, alleging possible violence at schools throughout Minnesota and the Twin Cities. The information is spreading through social media, primarily on TikTok and Snapchat.”
During the investigation, St. Paul police obtained investigative warrants and they requested expedited results from social media platforms that carried the message, in order to identify the sender, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. That information led police to the girl’s family’s residence Thursday, where they questioned her and released her to a parent.
Of threats to Minnesota schools, Oliveira said the BCA is monitoring the situation and informing local law enforcement of any threats made against specific schools or communities, along with working with law enforcement partners to try to identify the sources of the threats.
“While surges in false threats often occur following real incidents of school violence and social media ‘challenges,’ no threat of violence to our schools can be discounted as a hoax,” Oliveira said. “And, hoax or not, they can create real fear for families.”
Last week in Georgia, a 14-year-old is accused of fatally shooting four people at his high school.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said he was grateful for police and school leaders for “quickly determining” the threat wasn’t credible and identifying the suspect.
“I am tired; we are all tired of the fear and anger felt every time the safety of our schools is compromised,” he said in a statement. “… Incidents like this cause immediate and lasting damage, eroding the safety and trust we work so hard to protect. … Our students, our teachers, our families and our entire community deserve to learn free from and fear and without violence.”
Police presence around schools
St. Paul police officers provided “a presence around the areas of the schools,” said Ernster before the department announced they’d found a suspect. Investigators have been working with the BCA and St. Paul Public Schools security.
At three elementary schools in the Roseville Area Schools that were listed on the post threatening various schools, the school district said in an earlier email to parents that they had a police presence “as an added measure but not because they have determined there is any real threat.” Those schools were Edgerton Elementary in Roseville, Harambee Elementary in Maplewood and Little Canada Elementary in Little Canada.
Many of the messages being shared on social media were copied from posts outside the SPPS district, according to that district’s letter.
“Students are often aware of situations before adults, so please remind your child that it is important for them to report any concerns to a trusted adult,” the district said. People can submit concerns on the MySPPS app or online at spps.org/safety.
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