Manchester Police Issue Details On Threat Aimed At Catholic School

MANCHESTER, CT — Manchester police Thursday issued a report on a social media gun threat directed at a local Catholic school the previous day.

Here is the scenario, as outlined in a police report:

• At about 7:50 a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to St. Bridget School at 74 Main St. after a "disturbing" message involving firearms was discovered on a Snapchat group message thread and brought to the attention of school administrators.
• Police then determined that the message was from a thread involving students from the school.
• Officers questioned each student identified in the chat thread while also engaging parents and guardians and each student initially denied involvement.
• Officers then identified the origin of the post and that student eventually admitted to sending the message.
• The student had no prior involvement with the police and authorities decided to refer the student to a diversionary program.

Police issued an accompanying statement:

"The Manchester Police Department takes all matters involving school safety seriously and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our community's students. We appreciate the cooperation of the school administration, parents and students during this investigation.

"We would like to remind the community that cyber bullying, harassment, or any form of disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and appropriate legal actions will be taken when necessary to maintain the safety and security of our schools."

Police said they would continue to work with the school to help foster a "safe and nurturing environment."