Shooting Threat At Gwinnett Middle School Ups Security

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Security was ramped up at Gwinnett County's Sweetwater Middle School Thursday after an anonymous Twitter user threatened a Columbine-style shooting there.

The Twitter posts were made at about 11 p.m. Wednesday and invoke the April 20 anniversary of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, that killed 13 people.

"We will be shooting up Sweetwater Middle School tomorrow. This is not a joke," read the first post, which tagged Gwinnett County Public Schools' Twitter account.

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Two subsequent tweets from the newly created account said the attack would "make the Columbine school massacre seem like a joke" and suggested the attack would be at 2:16 p.m.

"I felt it was important for you to know that while we do not have any evidence to substantiate this threat, we are taking it seriously," Sweetwater Principal Jay Nebel wrote in a letter to parents. "Our school resource officers are investigating and are working to identify the source of this post. In addition, we will have a very visible police presence on campus today."

Gwinnett County school officials have placed additional school resource officers at the Lawrenceville campus. Gwinnett County Police also were conducting additional patrols at Sweetwater on Thursday.

"While there is no evidence that there is anything to this posting, these types of threats can be very disruptive to a school community," Nebel wrote. "I want to reassure you that providing our students and staff with a safe school environment is a priority."

Even if the tweets turn out to be a prank, the person who wrote them could face serious consequences, including criminal charges, school officials said.

Photo via Twitter