On the same day a Russellville Middle School was partially locked down because of a threat, a person claiming to be the suspect took to social media Monday night to tell students he or she would “kill everyone” on Tuesday.
The social media user also listed 29 people, saying, “I put bombs in these people’s lockers.”
The Russellville School District increased security and placed the middle school on “partial lockdown” Monday after a student allegedly threatened classmates, according to the school district and parents. Police are now investigating the incident.
A few hours after the lockdown ended and students went home their normal time, a user identified as “RMS Gosip Girl” told others on the social networking website ‘ask.fm’ that despite the increased security, he or she was prepared to kill students at the school on Tuesday.
Some students on the website encouraged the user to turn him or herself in to police and school administrators. The user responded around 5:15 p.m., “I am Jason okay i will confess tomorrow after i kill everyone.”
Another student tells the user, “You need to learn to forgive and forget.” The user responds, “I cant to manny (sic) people have been mean to me.”
The school district released a statement earlier in the day telling parents about the partial shutdown and initial threat.
“Russellville School District has responded proactively to a rumor at Russellville Middle School in which a student threatened a small group of students in a chat room,” according to a statement released Monday by the school district. “The parents of these students have been notified. RSD takes the safety and security of our students seriously.”
The statement goes on to say that security was increased following the alleged threat and that the “administration and local authorities are working together to (ensure) the safety of the students. Students will continue with normal school hours.”
The middle school added extra police officers from the Russellville Police Department on campus Monday morning and throughout the day as a safety precaution following the threat, said Ashley Snellenberger, the school district’s communications coordinator.
The incident stemmed from a threat on the social networking website ‘ask.fm’. Police have not yet identified the student who allegedly made the threat, Snellenberger said.
Carla Kennard has a sixth-grade daughter who attends Russellville Middle School. Kennard said a girl on ‘ask.fm’ created a public “hit list” of students from the school. Snellenberger said she could not confirm those details.
“Everyone was scared. There were cops everywhere,” Kennard told 5NEWS.
The messages allegedly from the student on ‘ask.fm’ spread to other social networking sites. One message on Instagram stated, “Bombs in lockers won’t know which ones, wish you hadn’t come to school today.”
Snellenberger said the middle school was placed on “partial lockdown,” keeping students from going outside. Students were also escorted by police officers during the school day, she said.
The school district released another statement later Monday night, saying the additional security will continue into the school day Tuesday, as 10 more names have been added to the suspect’s “hit list”.
