A student from a northeast Washington high school was arrested after he allegedly posted a threat against the school and students.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 16-year-old ninth-grade student from Eastern High School and said he would be charged as a juvenile after police found guns at his residence. They checked on the student after he posted a picture of himself on Instagram with the words “school shooter” and two gun emojis.
Detectives said there were several media posts by the student but did not detail their contents. No charges have been filed.
District of Columbia Public Schools issued a statement, saying they handled the threat quickly, and safety of the students is paramount.
“The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Following security and emergency protocols, DCPS immediately notified the Metropolitan Police Department. This threat was taken very seriously, was quickly resolved with minimal disruption, and is being treated as an isolated incident. We continue to work with proper authorities in monitoring these types of social media postings, and we will remain vigilant in maintaining student and staff safety.”
Some parents were not pleased with how the situation was handling and wanted to be alerted early in the day when the threat was discovered. One parent said she was pulling her child out of the school as a result of the lack of information.