Two potential shooting threats were reported Sunday night to the Grosse Pointe South administration, the first incident regarding a group chat where a photo of an individual holding a gun was sent.

A parent brought the incident to the attention of South principal Moussa Hamka, according to deputy superintendent of educational service Michael Jon Dean.

“A student had posted an image of themselves that was threatening,” Dean said. “It was forwarded along to the police, and they are currently investigating.”

The Grosse Pointe Park, Farms and Woods police departments were all notified of the threat, according to Dean. Hamka stayed in contact with police late into the night, trying to ensure each student would be safe if school were to continue as normal Monday, Dean said.

“The police did determine it was appropriate to have school this morning,” Dean said.

An email was sent to Grosse Pointe parents early Monday morning, and to ensure the safety of students, there is a police presence on both high school campuses.

The person in the photo is still publicly unidentified, according to Hamka, however police were able to trace the post to a computer in Florida.

It was verified Monday afternoon that the person pictured is not affiliated with the Grosse Pointe Public School System in any way and the case is still under investigation.

A member of the group chat, which was formed via Snapchat, said they only knew a few people in the chat, and eventually left the group before the threats were made.

“I didn’t know these people at all, but for some reason they knew personal details about me,” they said. “I got freaked so I just left.”

According to some students from the chat, they don’t know the person who sent the threat, but believe he is over 18 years old.  

In the second, unrelated incident, another threat was made by a Grosse Pointe South student over the weekend. On Sunday night, police went to the student’s home and verified they did not have access to weapons.

The student is currently separated from school and may face criminal charges. This information was relayed to students via an announcement by Hamka Monday afternoon.

“Keeping all of our students safe is our first priority,” Hamka said in the announcement.  “Please think before posting and notify an adult immediately if you see something of concern.”

As this is an ongoing police investigation, the Tower will update its readers as more information becomes available.