Tucson, Arizona Student Arrested After School Shooting Threat Closes Cudahy High School in Wisconsin

Police in Cudahy, Wisconsin, sent officers to Cudahy High School on Thursday, November 5, after a social media post threatening a school shooting spread among students in the school district. The high school canceled classes for the day. Investigators traced the post back to a student in Tucson, Arizona, and police in Tucson arrested the student who made it.

Officers at the school on Thursday

The Cudahy Police Department said officers became aware of the school shooting threat on Thursday, November 5, and sent officers to Cudahy High School at once to provide an increased security presence while an investigation into the threat began. A staff member at Cudahy High School confirmed to TMJ4 that the school closed on Thursday due to a "security concern." FOX6 reported early on Thursday that classes at the high school had been canceled for November 5, before officials released the reason.

A post from Tucson, posted days earlier

Through their investigation, Cudahy police determined that the original social media post came from a student in Tucson, Arizona, and that it was originally posted on or about November 2. The post threatened to carry out a mass shooting at a school on Thursday. Cudahy police said it was rapidly shared online, including within the Cudahy School District, where students passed it to each other on social media. The Tucson Police Department investigated the threat in Arizona and arrested the student who made the post, according to Cudahy police. Police released no name and no age for the student, and the reports did not name a school in Tucson or list any charges.

The chief's message to families

"The Cudahy Police Department recognizes the concern and anxiety these threats can cause among students, parents, school staff, and the community. We appreciate everyone who promptly reported the post and assisted law enforcement throughout the investigation," Cudahy Police Chief Anthony Andrews said in a release on Thursday. Andrews encouraged parents and guardians to continue having conversations with their children about responsible social media use. "The safety of our students and school community remains a priority," he said.

Police announced no injury and no attack at the school. The only action families in Cudahy saw on Thursday was the one the district took in the morning: an empty high school, officers on site, and a school day called off while two police departments, one in Wisconsin and one in Arizona, worked out where a post on a phone had started.