An 11-year-old girl has been charged with making a threat of a school shooting at Sierra Middle School. The charge came after a social media post was reported to the Las Cruces police late Monday evening, which suggested gun violence would occur at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the City of Las Cruces, Meta's security team alerted the authorities to the Instagram post, handing over critical data including the user's email address and IP address. The girl, whose identity is safeguarded due to her age, was then interviewed by the police with the cooperation of the school's staff, admitting to the allegations.
Upon searching the student's backpack, law enforcement confirmed that no firearms or weapons were found. The girl has since received a Class III Juvenile Citation, effectively an arrest without detention, and has been released to the custody of a parent. Given the girl's age, the Juvenile Probation Office denied detention.
The authorities have issued a caution against spreading threats online, highlighting that while the sharing of such posts may seem instinctual, it often serves only to sow undue fear and panic. They advise individuals who encounter any threatening content to save the information and reach out to law enforcement immediately by calling 911.
