Owensboro Police Department School Resource Officers were informed Wednesday of a social media post being circulated which indicated that an unknown subject was going to “shoot up” an unidentified school. Investigation determined the post originated in Georgia and officials confirm there is no legitimate threat locally at this time.
According to OPD, the Criminal Investigations Division immediately began an investigation after being made aware of the post. Through that investigation, detectives quickly determined that the post originated in the state of Georgia but was circulated across the country via social media.
Multiple law enforcement agencies across the country received reports of the same social media post in their jurisdictions.
Owensboro Public Schools officials also acted quickly and determined there was no threat in their buildings.
“OPS was made aware of a social media post making the rounds that implied a vague threat with no specific target,” a statement reads. “This image has been circulating around for about a week and it was immediately determined this image was not referring to any school in our district. We are grateful for parents who shared the image with school officials for us to investigate and we continue to encourage parents to remain vigilant with potential safety issues that pop up on social media. We take all threats as if they are real and appreciate those who say something when they see something.”
“While we have confirmed there is no legitimate threat at this time, we appreciate that this information was brought to our attention in a timely manner,” a statement from OPD reads.
As a reminder, anyone with information regarding a crime that has occurred or is being planned can call OPD at 270-687-8888, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 270-687-8484.
