Parents upset after deadly party shooting, school threats on social media

HOUSTON – A deadly teen party shooting this weekend in the Houston area caused a campus scare at a local school on Monday. Students from both Madison and Yates high schools attended the party when bullets started flying late Friday night.

For a short time Monday, Madison High School went into lockdown because of threats of retaliation stemming from this weekend's fatal shooting at a house party. Parents of these students were both frantic and angry.

"They should have warned the parents in advance so we could have made the choice not to send our kids to school," said one mother.

She asked us not to show her face, but says she pulled her three daughters out of class early after getting calls for help from her girls.

"The kids had already called me and begged me to come and get them because they're afraid," she said.

HISD officials say threats were posted on social media that there was going to be a clash between Madison High students and students from Yates High. The threats come from the weekend shooting death of a 17-year-old boy at a house party. Three other party goers were wounded. Students from both campuses attended the party.

"They're threatening to shoot up the school, they shouldn't have sent us to school period," one student told Local 2.

"They're telling us it was going to go down after school and during lunch," said another student. "It's all on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook."

In fact, while Local 2 was talking with parents and students we heard an announcement the school was in lockdown. Teachers and campus officers could be seen directing kids to go back inside. HISD officials gave no specific explanation for the lockdown.

Parents say they're angry they weren't warned of these threats before the school day began.

"They're putting in Facebook and all these social medias. Teachers knew when the kids came to school today, the parents didn't know," that mother told us.

Both campuses have extra officers patrolling until this crisis passes. And what's happening is almost identical to what happened to teens who attended another deadly party just a over week ago. That's why one lawmaker is now calling for action.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee held press conference Monday at Texas Southern University. She said it's time to really talk about gun violence before another family has to bury their child.

"These young people are worth saving," Lee said. "They are worth saving. They are worth studying and giving resources, and worth storing our guns. They are worth the ATF coming out and being seen on the issue of gun violence among young people."

Police are still searching for the people responsible for this weekend's shooting.

Pasadena Dobie reacts to student threats

Earlier Monday morning, Pasadena ISD said extra security was added to Dobie High School campus after a threat was made on Facebook.

The district said law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, determined that the threat made on Facebook was not directed toward any students that attend Dobie.

Instead, district officials say the post targeted a former Dobie student who now attends an HISD school.

Pasadena ISD says there was an increase in the presence of security for Monday, and staff and administrators will be "vigilant to report any unusual activity."


About the Authors:

Award winning investigative journalist who joined KPRC 2 in July 2000. Husband and father of the Master of Disaster and Chaos Gremlin. “I don’t drink coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink coffee.”