Loudoun County, VA- The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has concluded our investigation into rumored threats on social media towards Loudoun Schools. The information posted on social media was determined to be non-credible and there was no threat to any Loudoun County Public School.
On Tuesday evening, a number of students began sharing a screenshot of a Snapchat reporting third-party information of a threat of a shooting towards schools in the Ashburn area. The screenshot did not contain information regarding who made the initial Snapchat post. Throughout the evening, as the post was shared on social media, new schools were added to the Snapchat screenshot to be part of the threat
Detectives with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office began following-up with several students who shared the post, conducted numerous interviews, and with information from the community, they were able to identify the student who originally posted the comments. It appears at this time the student heard the information from other students based off a previously rumored threat at Broad Run High School. That threat was determined to be non-credible earlier this week.
The students who perpetuated the rumors based the information off of speculation of the previous rumors and the fact that today is the anniversary of September 11, 2001. As with all alleged threats, the LCSO takes all threats seriously and they will be thoroughly investigated, especially with the significance of today’s date marking the 18-year anniversary since our nation was attacked.
The information in the original screenshot claimed there were threats by unnamed subjects who planned a shooting at Broad Run High School on September 11 or Friday, September 13. Again, this information was deemed to be a rumor and there is no validity to any planned shooting.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office requests parents and students to refrain from posting rumors or speculation on social media. If you receive or hear of information of a potential safety concern or threat to our schools, call 9-1-1 or advise a school administrator or trusted adult.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office worked in close coordination with Loudoun County Public Schools Safety and Security. We would like to thank the community for their understanding and patience as LCSO personnel worked to determine the origin of this information.
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