Elementary student charged with making threats against "various" Pittsburgh-area schools, police say
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Shaler Area elementary student is facing charges after police said she made threats on social media against "various" Pittsburgh-area schools.
The charges come after the FBI said on Wednesday that it's been investigating after multiple school districts in the Pittsburgh area have recently reported non-credible threats.
FBI Pittsburgh said it's aware of recent threats toward multiple schools across western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The feds said they're working closely with law enforcement partners to help where needed by gathering intelligence, sharing information, tracking down leads and identifying and mitigating threats.
The FBI warned those found responsible for threats promoting violence will be thoroughly investigated.
"These threats disrupt school, waste resources, and put first responders and innocent people in unnecessary danger," FBI Pittsburgh said in its statement.
Shaler social media threats
Late on Wednesday, the Shaler Township Police Department said it identified the person responsible for a "social media post indicating that school shootings will occur at various school districts in Allegheny County." Police said it was a student at Shaler Area Elementary School but did not say which schools were targeted.
"She has admitted to this, and we have been in communication with the Shaler Area School District," the department said in a news release. "There is no credibility to this threat and there is no threat to the school districts named or to the community regarding this post."
Police on Thursday said the girl had been charged with a felony count of terroristic threats and a misdemeanor count of harassment.
Police did not say if the social media threats she allegedly made were tied to what the FBI is investigating.
On Thursday, FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek said there is a "good possibility that the school shooting in Georgia was at least part of the impetus for these."
What schools were threatened?
While the FBI did not name specific schools where it was investigating, multiple districts — including Armstrong, Butler Area, Canon-McMillan, Ellwood City Area, Hampton Township, Ligonier Valley, McKeesport, North Hills, Penns Manor Area, Pine-Richland, Shaler, Slippery Rock Area, Sto-Rox, West Mifflin Area, and Woodland Hills — reported threats this week.
The Pine-Richland School District on Wednesday sent a message to families saying there are lists on social media of schools that are targets for "security incidents." The district is working with the Northern Regional Police Department and has determined at this time that the threats aren't credible. Still, the district says it will operate this week "with a sense of heightened awareness."
Butler Area Senior High School and Butler Area Intermediate High School were in a modified lockdown Wednesday after a vague threat on social media, the Butler Eagle reported.
School on Wednesday in the Butler Area has been canceled due to additional threats the district received going into Thursday morning.
The Slippery Rock Area district also canceled school out of an abundance of caution.
Meanwhile, the North Hills School District told families that it was aware of a threat made on Snapchat that named several local school districts. The threat was investigated "thoroughly" by multiple local police departments and was deemed not credible, the district said.
On Tuesday, Ligonier Valley High School told parents that leaders worked with law enforcement to determine that a threat reported through Safe2Say wasn't credible.
While the FBI investigates, it says it will "leverage the full extent of the law" for those found responsible for threats.