Othello High temporarily locked down after social media threat, all safe
Othello High School, pictured, was locked down for a short time Tuesday afternoon after the FBI notified OPD that someone had posted a threatening message to social media.
COURTESY PHOTO/GOOGLE MAPS
OTHELLO — A social media post prompted a lockdown at Othello High School on Tuesday afternoon.
The Othello Police Department received notification about a post on social media from the Spokane office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to a release issued by OPD. The post showed a picture of the OHS main gym and had the caption, “im shooting up the school today,” the OPD release said.
“The social media outlet provided information that led to the owner of the account, (who) turned out to be a current student at OHS. Officers quickly responded and the school was placed on lockdown,” the OPD release said. “Within minutes from the time the post was reported to OPD the student was removed from school.”
The post didn’t identify any individuals and was quickly removed from the platform.
Further investigation did not indicate any immediate threat, and the student and his parents cooperated with law enforcement, the release said.
Possible charges and Othello School District disciplinary action are pending, according to authorities.