Minor Teen Arrested After Allegedly Threatening To Shoot Uvalde High School Student, 5 Months After Massacre

A 16-year-old boy was arrested in Uvalde, Texas following a threat that he allegedly made to carry out a shooting at Uvalde High School, said the school district.

On Tuesday morning, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) sent an email to faculty and parents. It stated that the individual made the threat via social media. It was reported on bullying prevention app STOPit, according to ABC News. The email read that the Uvalde Police Department working in conjunction with Texas Department of Public Safety investigators "located and arrested the juvenile last night."

The threat by the teen came just five months after the school shooting at the district's Robb Elementary. It resulted in the deaths of two teachers and 19 students.

The arrest of a male high school student was confirmed by Uvalde Police Dertment's Lieutenant Javier Martinez. It occurred Monday evening, but he said that the boy "was threatening another student. He wasn't threatening to shoot the school." The Texas Department of Public Safety "is working the incident with our assistance," he said.

In a statement issued later Tuesday morning, the Uvalde Police Department said that a 16-year-old was taken into custody on felony terroristic threat charges, but the suspect won't be identified because he is a minor. He admitted to police that he threatened another juvenile over social media, the police department shared.

The district said in the email sent to parents and faculty that it immediately notified law enforcement of the report of the threat received via the app. The UCISD said that STOPit "allows you to privately report bullying going on at school." It added that throughout the school year, students from any campus will be able to use the app to "report dangers, threats, and bullying they may be experiencing."

The email to faculty and parents said that they understood that the message might "cause additional stress for some of you, however we believe it is important to communicate these situations when they occur." The mail said that they will continue to work with "state and local law enforcement agencies to help keep our students and staff safe."

Since the May 24 massacre, the Uvalde community has been on the edge. Now a threat like this can be retraumatizing for the community as a whole, said Mary Beth Fisk, CEO of the Ecumenical Center and director of the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center, reported ksat.com. She shared that every time they hear of a trauma and especially if the trauma or potential traumas that "may bring back feelings of being unsafe," their students, parents and the community can be traumatized. And so, "it’s unfortunate."

She noted that it's still very important as parents to listen to their young children, their teenagers. According to her, sometimes they don’t want to talk and we understand that, but give them an opportunity not to isolate themselves with feelings or fears."