No credible threat to Cal Poly after rumors of a school shooter, police say
Update, 12 p.m.:
Rumors of a planned shooting at “Poly High School” spurred fear in Long Beach Tuesday night, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and may have been the source of the worry at Cal Poly.
The Press-Telegram reported that a screenshot was shared on Instagram that read, “POLY STUDENTS!! There has been word of a school shooter, threatening to shoot the school tomorrow. Do whatever you got to do to not be harmed. I for one will not be taking my ass to school. Be safe.”
No credible threat was found in that case either, and police told the newspaper it was unclear whether the post intended to refer to Long Beach Poly High School or some other “Poly” school. Classes proceeded as normal today with extra police presence on campus.
Original story:
There’s no credible threat of a shooter targeting Cal Poly on Wednesday, university officials said. Campus is open and classes will continue as usual.
University police sent a PolyAlert notice to students about midnight, saying they were aware of a post on social media that “references the possibility of a shooter on campus” on Wednesday. An investigation then indicated that the Cal Poly wasn’t the target of the post.
University police are still investigating the social media post with other law enforcement agencies, as of 6 a.m.
No other information is available yet, university spokesman Matt Lazier said.
Poly Alert: UPD is aware of a social media post that references the possibility of a shooter on campus tomorrow. UPD is actively investigating the origin of the message. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
— Cal Poly Police (@CalPolyPolice) February 21, 2018
Update: Cal Poly's campus remains open and classes will continue as scheduled. UPD continues to investigate and work leads to the social media post in partnership with other law enforcement agencies. The investigation indicates that Cal Poly was not the target of the post.
— Cal Poly Police (@CalPolyPolice) February 21, 2018
No credible threat to the campus has been received by the university and police are actively investigating the origin of the message. More information will be shared as it becomes available. https://t.co/mqZy0OvK1F
— Cal Poly (@CalPoly) February 21, 2018
After a tragic shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, students and officials around the country have been on edge. Cal Poly frequently trains its officers for active shooter situations, Lazier said.
This story will be updated.
Kayla Missman: 805-781-7965
This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 6:45 AM with the headline "No credible threat to Cal Poly after rumors of a school shooter, police say."