The Starkville Police Department released its second statement in as many days Thursday night following a misinterpreted threat many thought to be geared toward Starkville High School.
SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady issued a media release saying the department has received inquiries concerning a screenshot taken of a series of text messages between what appear to be two students in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
One of the people participating in the conversation is seen warning the other person against going to school because a family member had been told by police that there would be a school shooting at Armstrong Middle School.
Police say they believe the post is related to the concerns the department fielded Wednesday night, which started with a Facebook post.
The initial post began circulating on social media and makes threats aimed at what investigators quickly discovered to be "SHS" in Springfield, Ohio. The post was widely circulated on the social media platform, but some in the area interpreted the subject of the threat to be Starkville High School.
“The Starkville Police Department appreciates all who contacted us with concerns about our community,” the release said.
While no charges have been brought locally, the Starkville Police Department has reported a noticeable uptick in social media posts that caused a stir in the community. This also comes on the heels of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 students dead, and a suspect in custody who allegedly took to the internet to express his desire to commit a school shooting.
Earlier this month, a similar scare caused by an online post occurred at Armstrong Middle School, when a social media post prompted several parents to go to the school looking for answers.
The incident turned out to be a false alarm and school district officials previously said the school was never on lockdown during the day.
Starkville police and SOCSD schools, however, are not the only ones dealing with problems stemming from online threats.
Across the Golden Triangle, the West Point Police Department arrested a high school student on Thursday at West Point High School for making threats against the school on the fundraising website Funrun.com.
The student is accused of threatening to commit a school shooting on Friday.
The Daily Times Leader reports the 17-year-old suspect is a high school junior and has been been charged with threats against property.
Investigators determined that the threats were likely made as a joke, but the juvenile’s case was turned over to District Attorney Scott Colom's office and will be handled in youth court.