‘I really wanna kill’: Police probe online threat by Rock Hill charter school student

Editors Note: A video published earlier Tuesday with this story showed an image of a York Preparatory School student who was in no way associated with this incident.

______________________

Police in Rock Hill are investigating allegations that a charter school student sent threats on social media to “kill” 10 other students, police said.

The incident at York Preparatory School remains under investigation, police said.

“All the people involved are juveniles - children,” said Rock Hill police Capt. Mark Bollinger. “Our detectives are looking into what happened and talking to the people who are connected to it.”

School officials declined to comment specifically on the threats, but a principal said students at the school “are safe.”

Family members of other students called the Rock Hill Police Department to report the incident around 9:15 p.m. Monday.

The report was made after students showed adults a social media group chat involving a fifth-grade girl at York Preparatory Academy, according to a Rock Hill Police Department report.

The chat showed a list of 10 other fifth-grade students who were targeted, the report stated.

One mother showed officers a social media application, Tick Tock, where the threats were posted, the report stated.

The threats included: “I really wanna kill...” and “Imma kill...,” the report stated.

Officers downloaded photos from Tick Tock as evidence, and launched an investigation, police said.

No details about the investigation were available Wednesday morning from Rock Hill police.

A grandmother of one of the students who was sent the message told The Herald that school and police officials were set to meet Tuesday to discuss the matter.

Fifth graders are considered middle school students at York Prep.

Ryan Bridges, Middle School principal at York Prep, said Wednesday that he could not comment on the incident or investigation.

But Bridges said he wanted parents and students to know that the school is safe.

“When these issues arise at YPA (York Preparatory Academy) we take the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously,” Bridges said. “We feel very confident our students are safe on a day to day basis.”

Check back for updates.

This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 11:35 AM with the headline "‘I really wanna kill’: Police probe online threat by Rock Hill charter school student."