On Tuesday, December 16th, multiple schools in the South Metro area of Minnesota closed down due to violent threats circulating on social media. These schools included Apple Valley High School, Eastview High School, Rosemount High School, Eagan High School, and the School of Environmental Studies who are all part of District 196. Burnsville High School of District 191 was also closed as it was involved in the online threats as well.
It all began the day before the shutdown,Monday, Dec.15, at approximately 6:45 p.m., an anonymous Instagram account that has since been deleted posted a series of stories depicting firearms in the background with text on the screen. One of the post’s texts read, “Which one should I shoot up AVHS or EVHS?” Referring to Apple Valley and Eastview High schools, the two schools are located in Apple Valley.
The stories would continue to spread fear among students, as the anonymous student making the threats utilized the poll feature on Instagram to supposedly “help” decide their first attack. The most concerning of the posts came in a list of dates for every school, with Apple Valley being the first, as its date was the 17th, the Wednesday of that week.
By now, many were spreading these posts across social media, most notably seen on Snapchat, where it came to the attention of most of the student body of the schools. It also came to the attention of the Apple Valley Police Department that same night, and these threats were taken very seriously without hesitation, as all schools decided to cancel classes the following day out of serious concern, and an investigation was underway.
Tuesday saw students stay at home, as the culprit had not yet been determined or detained. The choice of shutting down all High Schools reflected the real concern the community of the south metro was having, but not without controversy. District 196 did not close any middle or elementary schools, which led to some parents taking matters into their own hands and keeping their children at home that day.
Later that evening, Apple Valley Police were able to successfully track down the individual who was behind the account, using their phone number to pinpoint the location. The individual was identified as a 16-year-old male living in Eagan who admitted to law enforcement that he was, in fact, making the sinister posts. What law enforcement did not find, however, was any evidence of firearms in the teen’s possession, so it is possible the whole ordeal was only a bluff.
What was not a bluff was the genuine fear that was felt across that community over the course of the situation. With a shooting incident in Stewartville just the week before, it is becoming increasingly apparent to more people in the state that anything could happen to anyone at any given time, and proper action must be taken when presented with a serious threat like this.
