Edwardsville student arrested after threatening to bring gun to school, police say
An Edwardsville High School student is in police custody after allegedly threatening to bring a gun to school.
Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, school resource officers were made aware of a potential threat against the school, Deputy Chief Mike Fillback of the Edwardsville Police Department said. Multiple students had overheard one student make the statement and let staff know immediately, he said.
The student, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, was quickly taken into police custody and charges against him are pending, Fillback said. Police determined there were no weapons on school grounds and that the threat was not credible.
School continued on for the day as normal, he said.
“We take these situations very seriously,” Fillback said. “This individual will have to face the school district’s judgment as well.”
On Wednesday, EHS released a statement condemning racism after a racist social media post circulated among the student body and stirred the community the day before. Police have had an increased presence at the school.
In a news release, Edwardsville Superintendent Jason Henderson said the statement the student made had been documented via Snapchat and that administration had reached out to the three students who circulated the post and asked them to take it down.
Fillback said that there is no evidence that Thursday’s arrest is connected with the racist social media posts.
“Why somebody makes statements like that, that’s for them to answer,” he said of the arrested student.
This story was originally published November 7, 2019 at 1:57 PM.
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