Franklin Regional School District Closed Due To Potential Threat

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MURRYSVILLE (KDKA) - A 17-year-old boy was apprehended Friday after posting some ominous pictures on Snapchat, but police later said they didn't believe it was a serious threat.

The district says police and district officials learned about the threat after a student posted a series of images on Snapchat Thursday night.

One of the photos was captioned, "I had enough."

Another had two semi-automatic rifles with the caption, "I brought both out."

A third photo showed someone holding a gun with the caption, "It's almost time."

"It's very serious. It can be very serious," Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefeld said.

Police and school administrators did take it seriously. They canceled classes for the day, and they tracked down the 17-year-old who posted the menacing images.

"There was no threat, actual threat, made to the school, to the students, to the personnel," Seefeld said. "It was a picture that was posted, so as far as any criminal charges, there was no -- as far as we can gather -- no crime committed."

No crime, but a serious enough threat that classes were canceled. It's a sign of the times.

"Until we were able to track this down, find the resolution, to know all the details, what was going on, if in fact there was a true threat out there..." Seefeld said. "It was best to close the school."

Police say the boy has a troubled home life, and he's now undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

Due to the threat at Franklin Regional, the Plum Borough School District operated under an external lockdown.

Acting Superintendent Dr. Gail Yamnitzky issued a statement explaining the external lockdown as, "all external doors remain locked and checked at regular intervals. Only individuals who have appointments will be permitted to enter our buildings."

Any students with early dismissal were escorted out of the building.

Police also provided extra patrols at all schools in Greensburg today.