The 13-year-old allegedly called an administrator’s office at Nimitz Middle School and threatened to shoot up the campus.
SAN ANTONIO — A 13-year-old boy is accused of making a terroristic threat amid a North East ISD investigation centered around concerning graffiti, social media posts and phone calls to administration at Nimitz Middle School, according to officials.
In a letter sent to parents Thursday, Principal Christina Sanchez said it’s believed the boy – who hasn’t been identified – was behind the social media posts, which were reported by a student, and the repeated threatening phone calls to the assistant principal’s office.
Nimitz Middle School is located in north San Antonio, at Blanco and Jackson Keller.
District police were first notified on Wednesday after administrators received a call in which a “male, muffled voice that sounded like a chipmunk stated, ‘We are going to shoot up the school.'” The school responded by checking that exterior doors were locked, bringing additional police to the campus and keeping students inside.
On Thursday morning, Sanchez told parents that campus police were continuing to investigate the phone calls as well as bathroom graffiti a student had reported that stated, “I will shoot the school today.” According to Sanchez, authorities didn’t believe the threats to be credible while emphasizing they would “be addressed promptly and thoroughly.”
“Our staff is increasing supervision in the restroom areas and even doing hourly restroom checks,” Sanchez told parents. “Cameras are also being reviewed and individuals will be questioned as part of the investigation.”
Later, the school was placed into a “secure status” when yet another suspicious phone call was made to the middle school office. At that point, Sanchez wrote, district police were investigating a lead.
By 3 p.m., the teen had been taken into custody, according to school leaders.
“We know how upsetting and unsettling it is to receive information about threats to our school and if there is a need, we have counselors available to speak with students and staff,” the principal wrote, adding that the graffiti threat in the bathroom was still being looked into.
“I am asking you to please continue to have conversations with your child about reporting anything they feel is suspicious,” Sanchez added.