Charlotte Police Investigating Social Media Threat Toward Middle School

Police in Charlotte are investigating a threat posted to social media over the weekend that indicated violence toward a local middle school.

Officials with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools received reports on Sunday (December 5) that a photo of a gun was being shared by students on Snapchat. The photo was accompanied by a threatening caption that warned students to stay home from Alexander Graham Middle School on Monday if they "wanted to be safe," WCNC reports. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating the post, and additional officers were on campus Monday morning.

School officials sent a message to parents asking them to talk to their children about the serious nature of threats made on social media.

"Please share with your child that sharing a post of this nature has very serious consequences and we appreciated any information about where this post originated," according to the message. "Please help staff by talking with your students about not reposting threats but encourage them to share the posts with you and schools staff."

The threat comes less than a week after a shooting inside a Michigan high school left four teens dead and several others injured. Another student, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, is facing multiple charges including murder, attempted murder and terrorism. His parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, are also facing charges related to the shooting.