During the start of the Feb. 6 school day, North Haven Middle School School Resource Officer (SRO) Bob Depalma was made aware by staff that students reported receiving a message via Snapchat and text message that a student of the school was going to “shoot up” the middle school.

These Snapchat and mobile text message threats were made the previous evening, although were not reported to school staff until that morning. Upon learning of this threat, Depalma immediately located and moved the student to a secure location away from students.

North Haven High School SRO Keri Maciog was also contacted and responded. No weapons were found on or near where the student was located. The student was removed from school and has been put in contact with professional resources. Parents/guardians of the student were checked for accessibility to weapons, with none found.

The North Haven Police Department commends the North Haven Middle School staff and SROs for quickly acting on this information and locating the student immediately. The number-one priority during incidents such as this is the safety of students and staff. The department cannot stress enough the importance of reporting suspicious activity immediately/as it is occurring.