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Rumor of school shooter at Tooele High School circulates social media, prompting investigation

Posted at 6:32 PM, Dec 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-01 23:06:48-05

TOOELE, Utah — A rumor circulating on social media that an active shooter would be at Tooele High School Monday has been investigated and is unfounded, school district officials say.

According to a Facebook post on the Tooele County School District page, officers investigating the threat found that a rumor originated on Snapchat, where a message was created that told students to skip school on Monday.

Eventually, as the post circulated, officials said students began to question why they should skip class, and eventually the rumor that an active shooter would be at the school began to circulate.

The school district said the rumor was “completely unfounded,” and encouraged parents to speak with students about how they use social media.

“This continues to be an issue within our county where students post fake threats or questionable comments that leads to community panic,” the district said. “Each threat must be investigated which takes resources from multiple agencies and an extended amount of time.”

Officials said that as a part of normal protocol, additional law enforcement personnel will be stationed at the school Monday.

“There have also been rumors that school is canceled Monday,” the post said. “This is also NOT true. Classes will run as scheduled.”