Atascadero police investigate school shooting threat after getting alert from student
An Atascadero High School student reported a school shooting threat that had been widely shared on a social media platform, prompting an investigation by the Atascadero Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.
It was found that the threat originated from a school outside of California, according to the police.
The threat, posted to Snapchat, was of a written message on what appeared to be a bathroom wall. It threatened of a potential school shooting for Thursday or Friday and warned people to not go to school, the city of Atascadero wrote in a news release.
After seeing the threat, the student went to Atascadero High School officials to report the Snapchat posting on Aug. 22.
School personnel then reported the incident to the Atascadero Police Department’s school resource officer, who got a screenshot of the Snapchat and conducted an initial investigation.
The resource officer and school district officials were able to verify that the message was not written on any walls in the Atascadero Unified School District.
Atascadero police then contacted other law enforcement agencies in the county and the Santa Maria FBI field office to figure out if the threat was valid.
“After utilizing statewide investigative resources, Atascadero PD received information that the threat had originated in a school district in another state and had been proliferated on social media,” according to the news release.
“We are grateful for the student who had the courage to step up and say something, and we encourage everyone in our community to do the same, ‘if you see something, say something,’ ” the news release continued. “Atascadero Police Department, as well as, AUSD and all law enforcement agencies take any reported threats of this nature seriously and work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”
