EAST PROVIDENCE — Parents and teachers of Martin Middle School students were rightfully startled to receive an automated call Friday morning, Oct. 9, informing them of a possible threat of violence made against a youngster there.
The threat, the use of a gun made by a high school-aged male student who lives outside of the city to a pupil who resides in East Providence and attends Martin, was deemed non-credible overnight, according to EPPD Chief Chris Parella.
The chief said the specific threat made by the teen was “I’m gonna shoot you.” Chief Parella added following the investigation and a review of the matter, the perpetrator of the threat will face charges.
“We can’t let these things continue to go by unchallenged. We have to start treating it like yelling fire in a movie theatre,” the chief said.
The East Providence Police issued two statements on the subject earlier in the day, including the following mid-afternoon:
“We would like to notify our residents that the increased police presence at Martin Middle School this morning was due to a threat made overnight on social media by a juvenile non-resident. This threat has been fully investigated and determined to be non-credible. We were confident that there was no dangerous situation posed to students on or near school grounds. Police officers will be present at Martin Middle School throughout the day today to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your patience and confidence in the matter. Our No. 1 priority is to keep our community safe.”
Friday morning, at approximately 7:15 a.m., an automated call was delivered to MMS parents and teachers notifying them of the situation.
At the time, the EPPD issued this statement:
“The School Department was made aware of concerns of social media chatter this morning regarding a threat. At this time there is no credible threat at any East Providence Schools. The East Providence Police Department and school administration have worked together to address the issue. The police department has fully investigated the incident and spoken with the child involved. It has been determined that there is and had not been any intent or capacity for violence at the schools. The student who made the postings in question is not a student in East Providence, nor does he live in the city. The situation continues to be monitored by law enforcement and school administration.”
Classes went ahead on schedule without any incident. Several parents, however, took to social media to express their displeasure with not being notified earlier so as to make a more educated decision to send or not allow their children to attend school Friday.
“Ninety-nine percent of our efforts throughout the day, the School Department and the Police Department, was spent trying to quell the fears of parents and dispel any of the rumors still floating around,” EPPD Chief Chris Parella added in an interview later Friday.
The chief said a small police presence was on hand at all of the city’s schools Friday afternoon at dismissal just to give parents, teachers and students piece of mind.
“The officers were there at the bell not to cause alarm, but to show the parents and the community as a whole that we’re there for them and we care,” Chief Parella added.
Adding a bit of detail and context to earlier statements issued by the department, Chief Parella said officers immediately began to investigate the matter when it was brought to their attention Thursday evening, Oct. 8.
The threat was made by one student to another, the chief continued, adding “it was not a potential group or mass event.”
EPPD personnel was dispatched to the home of the subject who was alleged to have made the threat. After a series of substantive interviews, Chief Parella said it was hours before the start of school that the threat was determined to be non-credible.
“We found and interviewed the young man who made the threat. We interviewed him, his parents. We assessed the situation and we found he had no capacity to follow through on the threat,” the chief added.
Chief Parella said his department treated the threat as serious and credible until its investigation concluded otherwise. He noted the efforts of School Department officials, including MMS Principal Sandy Forand, and of the city’s IT Department for assisting in the matter.
“The synergy specifically between the police and School Department as well as the help we received from the city’s new social media component was very, very important in helping us communicate with parents and residents,” Chief Parella added.
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