GJHS threat credibility ‘ruled out’ in wake of Uvalde shooting

The credibility of a threat made by a student at Gonzales Junior High School late Tuesday, May 24, was dismissed after a quick investigation by Gonzales ISD and the district’s police department, administrators said Wednesday.

The nature of the threat was not released, but came as district officials were acting with a heightened sense of security following Tuesday’s mass shooting at a Uvalde elementary school which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.

“Late yesterday evening, the district responded to the receipt of a threat made from a student at Gonzales Junior High,” Dr. Kimberly Strozier, interim superintendent, said in a statement. “The threat was assessed and handled with swift investigation and response, quickly ruling out the credibility of the threat.

“The Safety and Security Emergency Operations Plans and Protocols that Gonzales ISD has in place allowed for a swift, coordinated assessment of any potential threat. I commend the Gonzales ISD Police Department Chief Ross Gottwald, along with Gonzales Police Department and Gonzales Sheriff’s Department, for immediate action in investigating the situation and ensuring prompt resolution.”

Classes were held at all Gonzales ISD schools as scheduled Wednesday and administrators were out at various campuses to meet with parents and reassure them their children were safe at school.

A lone gunman, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos of Uvalde, barricaded himself in a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Tuesday morning after critically wounding his grandmother earlier. Multiple other victims were reportedly injured in the attack. Ramos’ victims are believed to have all been from the same fourth-grade class.

It is the deadliest shooting ever at a Texas school and the first mass casualty event since a shooting four years ago at Santa Fe High School.