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UC Riverside shooting threat leads to arrest, authorities say

Students walk around UC Riverside in October 2016. Campus police arrested a person they say threatened to carry out a shooting at the school, authorities said Friday.
Students walk around UC Riverside in October 2016. Campus police arrested a person they say threatened to carry out a shooting at the school, authorities said Friday.
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
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Campus police at UC Riverside have arrested a person they say threatened to carry out a shooting at the university, authorities said Friday.

The threat, which was sent through the social media platform Snapchat, was brought to the attention of campus police shortly before 12:30 a.m.

“I’m shooting up UC Riverside tomorrow. 1st Black school shooter going down in History,” the message read.

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The threat was shared on social media by several students who posted it in an effort to warn their classmates.

Police announced the suspect’s arrest shortly after 3:30 a.m. in a message to the campus community. Authorities have not released the name of the person who was arrested. Classes at the university are not expected to be interrupted.

The Riverside threat comes days after graffiti was discovered in the bathroom at Cal State Long Beach that seemed to imply a school shooting would take place there.

A Twitter user posted a photograph of the threatening message, scrawled in black ink inside a restroom stall: “School shooter tm BE WARNED 5-9.” Late Wednesday night, the university’s president, Jane Close Conoley, said that the threat was not credible and that other institutions had found similar graffiti.

Nonetheless, campus police and the Long Beach Police Department increased their presence at the school Thursday.

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hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

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