Student arrested for making threats to Arvada high school hours after Evergreen shooting
ARVADA, Colo. (KRDO) – Police in Arvada say a high school student is in custody after being linked to a threat to a local high school, made the same day as the Evergreen High School shooting last month.
Just hours after a gunman opened fire at Evergreen High on Sept. 10, critically injuring two students before turning the gun on himself, officers in Arvada began investigating hundreds of Safe2Tell reports about a threat on social media directed at Ralston Valley High School.
Police said a photo had been shared with multiple students via Snapchat, showing a rifle, ammunition and a magazine lying on a table, accompanied by text reading "Be ready rv" and a purple demon emoji.
Officers initially spoke with the suspect behind the threats that night during the Safe2Tell investigation, but say there was no evidence at that time to substantiate criminal charges. Police say the photo was determined to have originated from a French social media video posted in 2024, and it was believed that there was no credible threat to Ralston Valley High School.
The threat had a serious impact on the school, resulting in about 1,100 Ralson students choosing not to attend school the following day, Sept. 11. Despite finding no credibility to the threat, the Arvada Police Department sent additional patrol officers to assist the SRO unit at Ralson Valley and other Arvada schools.
An on-campus SRO continued to investigate the threat afterwards, identifying multiple students, parents, and faculty members.
Ultimately, the investigation focused on a current student at the school after a forensic examination of the student's device revealed a significant amount of evidence connecting the suspect to the original threat – including a search history full of references to the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
Police say a search of the student's other devices revealed they had searched "Is if [sic] a federal offense to make a school shooting threat," and a search of Snapchat records yielded additional evidence that supported criminal charges.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, likely due to their age, was arrested and booked on Tuesday, Oct. 14. They face a misdemeanor charge of interference with staff, faculty or students of educational institutions.
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