East Texas School Failed to Notify Law Enforcement of Mass Shooting Threat

Texas Department of Public Safety Executive Director Steve McCraw (left) and Jeoff Williams, Director of DPS Region 1 (screenshot from UT El Paso webcast)

Texas public safety officials today disclosed that an East Texas school district last year failed to notify law enforcement of a serious mass shooting threat. They said the incident should serve as a learning experience for school administrators elsewhere and the public at large.

The revelation came during remarks by Col. Steve McCraw, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Jeoff Williams, Director of DPS Region 1, which covers northeast Texas, speaking at a hearing of the Texas House Committee on Mass Shootings and Community Safety, today in El Paso.

The two law enforcement officials did not reveal the name of the school district or say when exactly it occurred, but instead described the incident in general terms. Williams said, “Late last year we had a school district in East Texas – I’ll spare you the name – that became aware of a student that had made some threats to his peers.”

“The students reported that, the student was suspended in the school, I guess put in another portion of the school or something to that effect. Communication was made to the principle. The principle said, ‘Let’s go ahead and suspend him,’ sent him home. But there was never any report to law enforcement. ”

Williams continued, “Of course, that generated a lot of Facebook posts, and Twitter updates about someone got kicked out of school or sent home, and so parents became aware of it through social media… finally a deputy was made of it through social media and talking to parents.”

“This was a real live, no kiddin’ plan. They had certainly put a lot of thought into it and they had idealized some previous shooters throughout the country, and no one had shared that information.”

“He contacted a trooper and said that we probably need to get some CID folks from Texas DPS to look into this. By the next morning, it turns out no one ever went and interviewed the young man at all. He’s 15 years old. ”

“So after going to the school the next day, some friends of his were talking with their peers and someone said ‘Hey what’s going on with your buddy who said he’s going to shoot up the school.?’ And he says, ‘Yea, he’s gonna shoot up the school and I’m gonna help him.’ And then he pulls a knife, and now there’s an aggravated assault.”

“So all of this is unfolding without anyone notifying law enforcement,” noted the commander for DPS North. “So finally we start making contact with these young men and sure enough the interview revealed this was a real live, no kiddin’ plan. They had certainly put a lot of thought into it and they had idealized some previous shooters throughout the country, and no one had shared that information.”

“And had we not known about it and followed up on it through that parent, it might have actually taken place.”

For his part, DPS chief McGraw called the incident “an example of why it’s so important that the public reports” threats to law enforcement. “All leads need to be covered and followed up effectively. Locals need to know about [when to report], school administrators need to know about it,” he said.