Classes were canceled Friday at Manchester Middle School in Chesterfield County after police notified the school division of a potential shooting threat conveyed through social media, according to the Chesterfield County Police Department.
Chesterfield police notified the school division Thursday night that a student had reported an online chat thread that referenced "someone planning to shoot up Manchester Middle School," according to a message shared with parents by the school’s principal.
The reported threat comes days after a teenager shot and killed four people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
Shawn Smith, a county school spokesperson, said CCPD initially decided Thursday night to increase the department’s presence at Manchester. Then Friday morning, the school system made the call to close the school “out of an abundance of caution.”
Police spokesperson Liz Caroon wrote in an email to VPM News that the matter is still being investigated, adding that “at this time, we have found no evidence that the communicated threat is credible.”
