ATLANTA – The FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation released a joint statement Friday afternoon declaring non-credible threats that have been spreading on social media since Wednesday’s school shooting in Barrow County.
Threats of violence naming various schools have been circulating since two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School near Winder were shot and killed Wednesday morning. A 14-year-old student was arrested at the scene and has been been charged with felony murder.
In addition, suspect Colt Gray’s father, Colin Gray, has been charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children for allegedly allowing his son to have the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting spree.
Some parents who attended a news conference Georgia House Democrats held Friday morning to call for passage of gun safety legislation said they decided to keep their children home from school after receiving emails from school administrators citing online threats that named their schools.
Later Friday, the FBI and GBI reported law enforcement agencies are responding to an increase in reported school threats following Wednesday’s shooting.
“School safety hotlines and law enforcement often see increased reporting following a mass shooting incident, as students and the public are more apt to respond to suspicious activity or concerns,” the joint statement read. “Reposting these threats can cause undue panic and spread false information.
“To date, the majority of investigations into threats posed online since the Apalachee High School shooting have been deemed non-credible.”
The two agencies went on to remind the public that law enforcement will investigate and prosecute anyone found making specific threats on social media.
They also asked Georgians who see or hear a threat to report it to local law enforcement immediately but not to share or forward the threat until authorities have had a chance to investigate.