PADUCAH, Ky. -- A 16-year-old is in custody after threatening messages circulated on social media towards a high school in Paducah.
Paducah Police Department said they received calls of a possible threat towards the Paducah Tilghman High School on Thursday.
Police said callers reported they had witnessed some threatening messages from an unknown male.
These messages were reportedly screenshotted threatening to "shoot up" the school and were sent throughout social media.
Detectives with the Paducah Police Department started investigating the matter. They said the 16-year-old student created a fake Instagram account and used it to fabricate a conversation regarding a threat against the school.
Police said the 16-year-old said he created the threat as a prank.
“We work closely with Paducah Public Schools on a daily basis to ensure the safety of our children,� said Chief of Police Brian Laird. “The relationship we have with them aided us in resolving this situation.�
The juvenile student was taken and lodged in the McCracken Juvenile Detention Center.
There were additional officers at the school and in the area of the school on Friday.
