A 16-year-old Cedar Hill High School student was arrested for allegedly posting a school shooting threat to social media Thursday night.
Cedar Hill ISD's superintendent had announced early Friday morning that the district and Cedar Hill police had traced the origin of the post and had a plan in place to apprehend the individual or individuals allegedly behind a school shooting threat made on Instagram.
After the arrest was made, the district wrote on Twitter that it plans to press charges for a terroristic threat.
Superintendent Dr. Billy Snow's Friday morning statement said that a slew of bomb threats made by email across North Texas and the country Thursday “may have inspired” the threat to Cedar Hill High School.
Additional security was present on campus Friday as a precaution.
“I am thankful and proud of how quickly officers worked together,” read Snow’s prepared statement. “We take these matter seriously; responsible parties will receive consequences for their actions.”
None of the threats made nationwide Thursday – many of which appeared to be blackmail scams demanding Bitcoin payments – were deemed credible authorities.
Read Dr. Snow's full statement below:
Longhorn Family,
Yesterday, more than 50 businesses received bomb threats through email. Police say the online activity may have inspired a school shooting threat made to CHHS through Instagram. Last night Cedar Hill Police Department notified Cedar Hill ISD Police of the threat, and the departments worked collaboratively to identify the location of where it originated. They have a plan to apprehend those they believe are involved. As a precaution extra security will be on duty at CHHS throughout the day.
I am thankful and proud of how quickly officers worked together. We take these matter seriously; responsible parties will receive consequences for their actions.
Please take this opportunity to talk to your children about the importance of speaking up. Tell them to say something if they see something that makes them concerned about their safety.
Thank you for your partnership and understanding.