The Marion Police Department was made aware of a potential threat to our schools on October 23rd, 2021 at approximately 5pm. MPD immediately communicated this information to Marion City School officials and began to collaborate on our joint response to this school safety threat. A subsequent police investigation was initiated into a specific social media post that was widely shared on Snapchat and other social media platforms, warning of an impending school shooting at “Harding”.
“While it is unfortunate that threats of this nature are not new to us, the sad reality is that we have investigated these kinds of viral incidents in the past”, said Chief Jay McDonald.“ We will work with our school partners to provide the safest learning environment for students and school staff possible.”
Marion Police are continuing efforts to identify the source of the original message. At this time, there is no definitive evidence to indicate that the message originated locally, nor is there a firm indication that the school identified in the message is Marion Harding High School in Marion, Ohio. Additionally, investigators discovered evidence of other social media posts targeting schools in other states over the last two years with nearly identical wording, grammar and use of emojis. In some instances, the only difference between the message in question and those previously investigated in other states was the addition of “Harding High” in place of other school names in other jurisdictions.
The Marion Police Department reminds our community of the “see something, say something” mantra. If you see or hear something suspicious, the correct response is to report that information immediately to law enforcement. An improper response to threats of this nature is to share threatening social media messages, thereby generating more fear, disrupting school operations and impeding the criminal investigation. While people in our community may have the best of intentions in sharing these messages on social media, the end result serves more harm than good often times.
The Marion Police Department continues to work with our law enforcement partners at every level to seek the origin of this communication and the identity of the person who created the message. Officers have received numerous tips and we continue to investigate every potential lead that is brought to our attention.
While MPD does not publicly state our specific response strategies to incidents such as this, the community should know that our agency has devoted a significant amount of resources to investigate threats of this nature while simultaneously investing additional personnel and technology resources in and around our school buildings to provide for the safety of students and staff. As a result, parents may notice an additional Police presence in and around the schools in the coming days.
Remember to “see something, say something” and report suspicious activity to police. Don’t share messages or posts of threatened violence on social media.We continue to ask if anyone has information on where this message originated, please call the Marion Police Department (740-387-2525) or the TIPS Line at 740-375-TIPS.Chief McDonald thanks our Marion City School partners and the community at large for their shared investment in the safety of our schools.