TOOELE, Utah, Dec. 2, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — An investigation is underway after rumors circulated of a possible active shooter at Tooele High School Monday.
“There have been multiple rumors being spread in regards to an active shooter at Tooele High School Monday, Dec. 2,” said a Facebook post from Tooele County School District. “This is NOT true.
“Officers from Tooele City Police Department conducted a thorough investigation and found that the threat could not be substantiated. There have also been rumors that school is canceled Monday. This is also NOT true. Classes will run as scheduled. We sincerely ask that you help dispel any further rumors.”
During the investigation, officers found that the rumor originated from a message created on Snapchat telling students to “sluff” school on Monday, the post said. After it had been shared and commented on multiple times, students questioned why they should skip school and eventually the message changed from students should skip school into there will be an active shooter at the school, the post added.
“Again, this rumor is completely unfounded,” the post said. “We highly encourage parents to speak to their students about how they use social media. This continues to be an issue within our county where students post fake threats or questionable comments that leads to community panic. Each threat must be investigated which takes resources from multiple agencies and an extended amount of time.”
Additional law enforcement will be at Tooele High School and neighboring Blue Peak High School Monday.
“We are grateful for the relationship we have with the Tooele City Police Department and appreciate their continued efforts in keeping our students and families safe,” the post said. “This is a good reminder that what you post on social media can be impactful, but it also has flaws. What you say and post can be easily misinterpreted and intentional fake threats can have legal consequences.”
