SAN MARCOS — Law enforcement is continuing to investigate a shooting threat against San Marcos Elementary School that was posted on social media over the weekend and traced back to a San Marcos residence.
The statements on X, formerly known as Twitter, included threats of violence directly mentioning the elementary school and included images of firearms. The account also replied directly to a year-old post by the school’s account with a threat.
The San Marcos Unified School District sent out a notification to school staff and families regarding the threat around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday and a district-wide notification around 8:45 a.m. on Monday.
“Our district office team and the San Marcos Elementary team have been working closely with law enforcement to conduct an investigation. Because any and all threats of violence are taken seriously, these teams have been working around the clock to investigate the credibility of this threat,” San Marcos Unified said Monday morning.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said early Monday evening that detectives were able to pinpoint the post’s origin as coming from a San Marcos home. The department declined to offer further details about whether a specific individual was identified, and stated that no one is in custody.
“A thorough investigation led detectives to determine the school threat was not credible,” the department said in a release. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Law enforcement presence was also increased at San Marcos Elementary on Monday, in addition to increased patrol at other schools, the district said.
While school was not canceled on Monday, San Marcos Unified spokesperson Amy Ventetuolo said the district witnessed around 20% more absences than normal.
“While we believe that school is one of the safest places students can be, especially with heightened law enforcement presence, we understand and respect the decision of any family who chooses to keep their student home as a result of the investigation,” Ventetuolo said.
An individual posting anonymously on Facebook on Sunday said they discovered the threats on X that day and immediately reported them to the Sheriff’s Department.
San Marcos Elementary was also the target of a bomb threat back in February that prompted a school evacuation. A local woman was later arrested for calling in the fake threat.
The Sheriff’s Department reminded students that if they become aware of threats or have concerns about potential violence, they should reach out to school resource officers or call the Anonymous Student Speaking Out Hotline at (888) 580-8477.
The district’s full statement from Monday morning is included below:
“We wanted to make you aware of an incident that transpired last night involving San Marcos Elementary School, and a threat of violence against the school on social media. Our district office team and the San Marcos Elementary team have been working closely with law enforcement to conduct an investigation. Because any and all threats of violence are taken seriously, these teams have been working around the clock to investigate the credibility of this threat. While the investigation is ongoing, we have made significant progress in identifying the source of the threat. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot share further information at this time.
In response, there is an increased law enforcement presence at San Marcos Elementary and increased patrol throughout the district today.
The safety of our community is our utmost priority, and we will update the community when there is more information to share.”
This story was updated to include information from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
