MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A warning circulating on Snapchat put Craigmont High School on high alert Thursday.
The message read, ‘DONT [sic] GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW. My brother said some one [sic] is planning to shoot up the school. Now don’t @ me if nothing happens, at least I told y’all…”
Craigmont senior Jayce Hixson said a friend forwarded him the message Wednesday.
“It was basically just send it to as many people as possible so people are safe and knows what’s happened,” Hixson said.
Shelby County Schools said Craigmont administrators immediately notified police, who later deemed the threat not to be credible. They arrested 18-year-old student Cameron McDaniel Thursday morning at his home.
He reportedly told police he threatened to shoot and kill four people to “get the individuals to leave him alone and he was not going to follow through with the killing.”
Police didn’t elaborate on what he meant, but Hixson said McDaniel was fairly popular at the school.
“A lot of people liked him. Some people thought he was weird, but a lot of people liked him,” said HIxson.
“I couldn’t believe it. Like, he’s never talked this way before,” he added.
Craigmont administrators sent a voice message to parents Thursday morning notifying them about the threat. Shelby County Schools also confirmed it stepped up security presence at the high school all day Thursday.
“If you don’t take it serious and that happens, then people look at you and say, ‘Why didn’t you do anything?’ ‘Well, we didn’t take it serious.’ You gotta take it serious,” said parent Lee Hixson.
No bond has been set for McDaniel who is due to appear in court Friday morning. Shelby County Schools didn’t say if he would be allowed to return to school.
No one answered the door at McDaniel’s home.