FBI, police investigate threat made to Kapolei Middle

KAPOLEI, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A social media post threatening violence at Kapolei Middle prompted an increased police presence Friday.

Principal Richard Fajardo also said in a letter home to parents that students bags were searched.

"All threats to our school or students are taken very seriously and are investigated thoroughly," Fajardo said, in the letter.

Honolulu police said they started receiving calls at around 10 p.m. Thursday about a suspicious Instagram post that said there would be a shooting at the school at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Several officers were dispatched to the school around 6 a.m., and the school was in a "modified lockdown" until about 9:15 a.m.

Police said FBI agents are also assisting, and that a first-degree terroristic threatening case has been opened.

"We take each report seriously," a police spokeswoman said. " We will continue to have police presence throughout the day through when students get out of school."

On Friday, there were no reports of suspicious activity, but police were still receiving many inquiries related to the threat.

School administrators said they contacted police immediately after hearing about the threat Thursday night and were in contact with authorities throughout the night.

The post, which has since been removed, comes amid a string of threats to schools across the island. Just two days ago, Waianae High School sent a letter to all parents and guardians informing them of a threat at its school.

And just last week, a bomb scare at Mililani High School triggered a campus-wide evacuation. Earlier that week, a similar threat was made to the school.

On Feb. 2, someone threatened to shoot up Mililani Middle School, prompting police to open a terroristic threatening investigation.

Police say it's a felony to threaten to shoot a gun at a school, and is punishable by up to five years in prison.

In the back of everyone's mind is the spate of deadly shootings at schools, including one this week at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead. The shooting has prompted several "copycat threats" at other schools across the country, putting authorities on extra high alert.

This story may be updated.

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