ST. GEORGE — A report of a social media conversation involving possibly shooting up a school caught the attention of the Hurricane Police Department as officers responded Thursday to secure each of the schools that were placed on a temporary lockout.
Shortly after 11 a.m., the Hurricane Police Department sent officers to secure each of the area schools after the department received a report alleging that a student was making threats to “shoot up a school,” statements that were reportedly posted on Snapchat, Hurricane Police Sgt. Dan Raddatz said.
Since officers had not yet located the student suspected of making the threat, the schools were placed on “lockout” at 11:30 a.m. — standard response to a potentially dangerous situation or threat wherein administrators or law enforcement secure the exterior of a building, which prevents anyone from entering or exiting the facility, while normal activities continue within the building.
“This was done as a safety precaution,” he added.
The Hurricane Police Department posted the alert on the department’s social media page to advise those parents who had shown up to the school early and were unable to pick up their children.
By noon, officers had located the underaged suspect, so the lockouts were lifted and normal school operations resumed. Officers are still in the process of determining what happened and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Raddatz said threats to public safety are taken very seriously, particularly when it comes to any threat to a school since protecting children is the No. 1 priority. This applies, he added, regardless of whether the threat is made on social media or called into the police department as the consequences can be serious.
He said the uptick in swatting incidents and hoaxes across the state, including the incidents reported on April Fool’s Day this year, prompted a change to Utah law, which went into effect May 1. Stiffer penalties await anyone calling in threats or false emergencies targeting schools. They can now face a felony charge, whereas before it was a misdemeanor offense.
Utah students caught doing the same will also be subject to suspension or expulsion from school.
Officers also lauded the efforts of school administrators who responded quickly to secure the facilities to keep the children safe, and the department also apologized for any inconvenience the incident may have caused for those picking the children up from school.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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