Pueblo police: Student who put graffiti on the wall did it as a joke

Police surrounded and occupied Pueblo Central High School today, but parents were still skeptical in sending their kids to school.

This comes after the school had graffiti on its wall with a message “Columbine Feb. 14.”

Dolores Hernandez has a daughter who goes to Pueblo Central.

She said it’s a scary feeling sending her to school, but her daughter wanted to go to school.

“She has a test today. She really wanted to go,” Hernandez said.

Lyana Gilmore didn’t want to send her son to school today also, but she saw the police at the school and felt comfort.

“With extra security beefed up today, I feel better. I think if anyone is going to do anything today it would be silly,” she said.

Pueblo police officers say the student who wrote the graffiti on the wall did it as a joke, but Columbine is no laughing matter.

“Of course when you write Columbine on the outside of an educational institution it’s going to raise some hair on the back of someone’s neck,” Pueblo Police Sgt. Eric Gonzales said.

Gonzales said more police were sent to the high school, just in case.

“The police department sent police officers out there and our graveyard shift officers were getting off this morning hanging around the school. We also have extra officers inside the school,” he said.

Hernandez said she keep herself updated until her daughter gets off school.

“I will be watching TV and maybe call the school hoping everything will work out,” she said.

There were also rumors of threats at Centennial High School and Roncalli Middle School, but Pueblo police discredited the rumors