Uvalde school district says shooting threat was made, suspect arrested

(UVALDE, Texas) — A teenager was arrested in Uvalde, Texas, in connection to a threat they allegedly made to carry out a shooting at Uvalde High School, the school district said.

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District sent an email to faculty and parents on Tuesday morning stating the individual made the threat via social media, which was reported on the bullying prevention app STOPit.

“The Uvalde PD working in conjunction with Texas Department of Public Safety investigators located and arrested the juvenile last night,” the email reads.

Uvalde Police Department’s Lt. Javier Martinez confirmed the arrest of a male high school student on Monday evening, but told ABC News, “He was threatening another student. He wasn’t threatening to shoot the school.” He provided no further comment, stating only that “DPS is working the incident with our assistance.”

The Uvalde Police Department told ABC News in a statement Tuesday that a 16-year-old was taken into custody on felony terroristic threat charges. The suspect, who won’t be identified because they are a minor, admitted to police they threatened another juvenile over social media, according to the police department.

The Uvalde school district and Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately return ABC News’ requests for comment.

In the email sent to faculty and parents, the district said it immediately notified law enforcement of the report of the threat received via the app. The UCISD website states, “STOPit allows you to privately report bullying going on at school. Throughout the school year, students from any campus will be able to use this app to report dangers, threats, and bullying they may be experiencing.”

“We understand that this message may cause additional stress for some of you, however we believe it is important to communicate these situations when they occur. We will continue to work with state and local law enforcement agencies to help keep our students and staff safe,” the email to faculty and parents says.

The threat came just shy of five months after the school shooting at the district’s Robb Elementary which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. The community has been on edge since, as bombshell details of the shooting have emerged amid the prolonged investigation, which many families say has yet to provide the accountability and transparency victims’ they continue to plead for.

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