Lockdown At Southmoore High School, Police Investigate Multiple Social Media Shooting Threats

Police say that threatening Snapchat posts circulating on social media led to an increased police presence at two high schools in Moore Tuesday.

Moore Police say the second one led to a lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

The first threat circulated after 9 p.m. Monday, and targeted “MHS.”

Detectives discovered several other school districts, including one in Ohio, had received similar threats with the abbreviation “MHS.”

The second Snapchat threat stood out to Moore Police because it specifically mentioned Southmoore High School and came with a date and time of the potential shooting.

All this led to a lockdown and early dismissal for over half the school. "This is my first month out at high school and I’m already involved in a school shooting threat," Aiden Mills, a Southmoore High School freshman said.

This post showed a person holding a firearm, referenced a nickname for the school’s mascot, the Sabercats, and threatened a school shooting for Tuesday’s date at 10:45 a.m. "That makes it a little bit higher of a priority and is why we issued a quick police presence at the time," Clint Byley with the Moore Police Department said.

Just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, the school sent a message to families alerting them of the threat and announcing kids could be checked out at an "abundance of caution."

Minutes later, cars were stacked up on Santa Fe Avenue from the entrance to Southmoore High School to 19th Street.

"The closer I got the longer the line was and I began to see police cars and then I became really alarmed," Julia Taylor, Aiden Mills’ grandmother, said. "The line was long and I was nervous and I’m sure everybody was nervous."

Taylor pulled Mills out of school due to the threat. He says the school day was normal for the first two hours. "Then they put the school on the whole school lockdown, and they held us in there for probably two hours after that," Mills said.

He said school officials were calling the names of students being checked out over the intercom during the lockdown. "And it was just constant they just left it on the whole time and I think probably at least half the school got checked out," Mills recalled.

Mills said the situation was a sobering reminder of harsh realities he didn’t expect to face so early on in high school. "I'm already thinking every classroom I’m in what's a possible escape route if there is a shooting," he said.

Moore Police said this threat appears to be fake, but assured the community they take every threat seriously.

The first threat referencing MHS also affected Mustang High School families today.

News 9 spoke with a Mustang High School parent who shares the same sentiments as families at Southmoore. "It's just terrifying. It seems like there are these threats every day whether it’s in our district or another one nearby. And it's just you don't feel safe sending your kids off to school it's terrifying," she said. The parent wished to remain anonymous.

Mustang Public Schools sent a letter to parents this morning saying in part, "…after a thorough investigation with MPS administration and Mustang Police, we have confirmed that there is no credible threat at this time towards MHS."

Mustang Public Schools operated as normal, with an increased police presence at the high school.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters also released a statement on the increase in school shooting threats. His full statement reads:

“These threats will not be tolerated. The safety of our students is my highest priority, and our agency is coordinating efforts with local districts and law enforcement. We are making all resources available and will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure our students’ safety and security.”

News 9 will continue to monitor unfolding situations regarding school shooting threats across the metro, and bring you updates as they become available.

Moore Public Schools released this statement to parents:

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