Hawaii Island police on Wednesday responded to a report of a threatening message written on a bathroom wall at Waiakea High School.
The school authorities reported finding a written message at about 1:50 p.m. and reported it to police. The message threatens a shooting the school with a date of March 5, 2020.
No one was directly mentioned in the threat which remains very broad in scope, police said.
The message was hidden behind the stall door and scribbled on the stall wall. It is not determined when the message was written.
Police and the school are taking the threat seriously, and certain measures will be in place today to prevent any trouble. Police did not specify what those measures would be.
Currently, there are no suspects. The school has no plans to close, and parents should expect an increased police presence at the school with the goal.
Any threat made toward any school, person or entity is taken seriously, and the police caution that these kinds of messages are unacceptable and bring with it state and federal laws that are prosecutable.
Social media sites are already publishing this incident, which makes it more concerning to law enforcement and the school, police said.
“All social media does in these circumstances is bring popularity to the message, which should be discouraged, since it threatens our children at the school” said South Hilo Patrol Captain Kenneth Quiocho. “The school should be a safe environment for our keiki, but people like this threaten that environment, and we will not stand for that.”
Police are asking anyone with information on this matter to call police, or CrimeStoppers 961-8300 where the caller can remain anonymous.