HOUSTON – Houston ISD police said a Yates High School student admitted posting a tweet Wednesday threatening violence at Lamar High School during the school's homecoming rally Friday.
The tweet included a photo of the student holding what appeared to be an assault rifle.
Several Lamar students saw the tweet. One of them showed it to his mother, who reported it to school officials, police sources said.
"Most people decided it was kind of a joke. But some people were planning not to come to school tomorrow just in case," student Evan Oubre said.
Sophomore Gabe Stranges says he took the threat seriously.
"It scared me because these things happen. And things happen at school. You hear about these school shootings all the time," he said.
School police traced the tweet to the Yates student, whose name is not being released. Following an investigation, HISD officials said the threat did not appear to be serious.
The school district released a statement that read: "HISD Police has identified the student believed to be responsible for making an online threat against Lamar High School. At this time, officers have no evidence to suggest the threat is credible. However, extra officers have been assigned to the campus as a precautionary measure. The student in question will be disciplined appropriately per the HISD Student Code of Conduct. We take all threats seriously as the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority."
School district officials said the Yates student told them he was just "messing around." Police determined the gun in the photograph was a fake, a theatrical prop. There are no plans to file criminal charges.
In September 2014, a 16-year-old Lamar student was charged with making a terroristic threat after posting tweets threatening to burn down the school.