An email tip-off about an ominous Facebook post by a former Ashland High School student led officials to send police officers to the school and cancel the school's Homecoming Parade.
The Ashland Police Department says they received an email around 1:00 p.m. from a former Ashland resident. The message included screen shots from the Facebook page of a former AHS student. The posts included a firearm being displayed and what the police describe as statements that were "somewhat threatening and alarming." According to the police, "These statements alluded to this man's desire to exact revenge on some people in his life."
After contacting the school, police determined the man was no longer a student at AHS. Investigators also determined the photo was a stock image and not a photo taken by the person who posted it.
Given the events at Umpqua Community College today -- and the ongoing possibility of school shootings -- police department and school authorities decided to send officers to the school as the school day ended. Students were kept an extra 10 minutes then released to go home. The school's Homecoming Parade was canceled and will be rescheduled soon. All other school events are proceeding as planned.
Police say they have tentatively identified the man who posted the images and statements and detectives are trying to locate him.
