Schools across Kansas City metro confront surge of threats in wake of Georgia shooting

Nearly ten school districts across the Kansas City metro have confirmed threats of violence over the past few weeks, mostly through social media, in the wake of a fatal mass shooting at a Georgia high school in early September.

In that case, two teachers and two students were shot and killed at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, Sept. 4. Colt Gray, 14, was charged with four counts of felony murder, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. His father, Colin Gray, 54, has also been charged in connection with the shooting after investigators said he “knowingly allowed” his son to have a weapon.

Since that time, the number of school threats has seemed to escalate across the Kansas City metro area, totaling at least 10 known threats.

Nick Gooch, Grandview assistant superintendent, said in a news release that it’s crucial not to share or spread threats encountered on social media because it can lead to panic and make the investigation harder for authorities. Instead, students and parents should immediately report the threat to school administration or local law enforcement.

“We urged families to talk to students about the seriousness of making a threat like this,” said Jennifer Brady, a spokeswoman with Blue Springs Police in an email. “Threats will not be tolerated, even if it is intended as a joke.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, The Star has confirmed at least three individuals ages 18 and younger have been charged related to reported threats in the Kansas City metro. Here’s what we know.

Several teens arrested

Three teenagers have been arrested, some of them students, in Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Leavenworth in connection with threats made against area schools.

On Tuesday, Leavenworth police took an 18-year-old suspect into custody for posting a threat online against Leavenworth High School Monday night. The suspect — who lives on Fort Leavenworth — was not a student, said Dr. Kellen J Adams, superintendent of Leavenworth USD 453 schools, in a letter to parents.

Police in Lee’s Summit were made aware of a TikTok posted Sept. 9, which included a detailed threat targeting East Trails Middle School at 1001 SE Bailey Rd, said Sgt. Chris Depue in a news release. A juvenile was taken into custody after an investigation by police, the FBI and Lee’s Summit R7 School District.

A Blue Springs High School student was arrested Sept. 8 in connection with an alleged threatening message on Snapchat directed at the school. Blue Springs police said the post did not specifically imply a shooting, but insinuated the threat of violence sent to several students and was submitted to police and the school district by a concerned parent, Brady said in an email.

Other threats of violence

Capt. Heather Pate with the Bonner Springs Police Department said in an email Tuesday that the department received two tips last week about possible shootings at Clark Middle School, located at 420 N. Bluegrass Drive.

A suspect was identified for the first threat, which was found to be not credible. The second was submitted anonymously through a tip hotline Friday, Pate said. Police conducted a search of the school with the Shawnee Police Department and the FBI with canines. Though not believed to be credible, that threat is still under investigation.

The Grandview C-4 district and Grain Valley received threats through social media posts, which officials called unsubstantiated.

The Kearney School District also got an anonymous tip through the state’s Courage2Report system. None of those threats were substantiated by officials.

Several threats were reported to the Independence Police Department regarding Truman High School on Sept. 13, according to Independence Police Detective Jack Taylor.

Around 10:20 a.m. that morning, a call was placed about a student possibly armed in the restroom. Minutes later, another call came in saying there was a student armed in a classroom. A third call was placed at 12:24 from a parent who heard about a student with a gun inside the school, which police determined was related to the other two incidents from that morning.

None of the calls were substantiated, and no threats were posed to the students at Truman High, Taylor said.

An email sent out on Sept. 12 from Kansas City Kansas Public School officials said that there were several social media posts that targeted some of the schools in the district. Those who were associated with the threats were caught by police and will face disciplinary action, school officials said in a letter to parents and staff.

The threats were found to be not credible.

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