'Despicable Act': Elementary School Spray-Painted With Name Of Sandy Hook Shooter

BETHESDA, MD — Security measures were bolstered this week at Bradley Hills Elementary School and at area schools after officials found graffiti over the weekend on campus property that referenced a school shooter.

The name of the shooter responsible for the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was found spray-painted Saturday on a campus fence.

The Sandy Hook shooting took place in December 2012. A total of 20 students and six staff members were killed before the shooter took his own life.

Montgomery County Police said officers were dispatched to Bradley Hills Elementary School, at 8701 Hartsdale Ave. in Bethesda, just before 3:30 p.m.

"To be clear, the use of the name of an individual responsible for such a heinous act, one that involved the loss of life of young school children, can only be interpreted as an act intended to intimidate and cause fear within the Bradley Hills School community, and the broader neighborhood and community," read a letter issued to parents by Montgomery County Public Schools.

"This despicable act will be met with a substantial and uniform response from multiple divisions of MCPS and the Montgomery County Police Department."

The letter was authored by both MCPS Chief of Schools Peter Moran and Marcus Jones, who serves as the chief of the division of safety and emergency management.

An investigation into the graffiti by the police department is ongoing. Surveillance footage has been provided to police, according to the school district.

The discovery of the graffiti comes after the school reported a separate vandalism case last week that involved an outdoor shed being intentionally set on fire.

It remains unclear whether the two cases are at all related.

"We understand how both of these incidents are extremely unsettling and concerning for students, families, staff, and neighbors," the letter states. "Please know that school leaders, security team members, and our law enforcement partners are taking this very seriously."

Anyone with information related to the vandalism incidents is urged to contact police at (301) 279-8000. Anonymous tips can be filed online or by calling the Maryland Safe Schools Tip Line at 1-833-632-7233.