Hillside: Police conclude social media shooting threat ‘not credible’

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Screen Shot 2018 02 21 at 11.34.53 AM
Screenshot circulated among some Hillside Students, including a gun threat, profanity and foul language. Image was cropped during the editing process to eliminate extraneous foul language. Courtesy/Rob Azevedo

MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester School District issued the following letter for parents, after some students received a threatening message via Snapchat, including the threat of gun violence.

Police were immediately brought into the situation, and ruled out any danger for the school community.

The message read, “I’m going to shoot every 1 in this fuckin’ place.”

The letter below was emailed to parents, and also printed and sent home, according to school officials.

A special meeting of the Board of School Committee was already scheduled for Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. to discuss school security measures, following last week’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.


February 21, 2018

Dear parents and guardians,

This morning we were made aware of a screenshot circulating on social media referencing a threat of a shooting. We immediately contacted the Manchester Police Department to investigate, and detectives determined the threat was not credible.

The police department is confident the screenshot did not originate at Hillside Middle School, but multiple students reposted the screenshot on their social media accounts, which raised concern.

The school day went on as usual, but we did issue a shelter-in-place for about 20 minutes during a sweep of the building by the police department’s K9 unit as an extra safety measure.

As you know, our students’ and teachers’ safety is a top priority. We thank our partners at the Manchester Police Department for their response.

Sincerely, Brendan McCafferty Principal

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!