RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Rio Grande City High School was placed on lockdown Wednesday morning after an alleged threat was made.
Adrian Ozuna, director of public relations for Rio Grande City Grulla ISD, reported that the Starr County Sheriff’s Office received a possible threat to the high school.
The sheriff’s department, Texas DPS, and Border Patrol were on the scene.
Ozuna said a suspect has been apprehended and will be questioned by authorities.
“I want to make sure that we overreact instead of underreact. We want to make sure that we take our students’ safety and our staff’s safety as the utmost priority,” said Ozuna.
Rio Grande City High School remains on lockdown until the all-clear is given, said Ozuna.
Superintendent Adolfo Peña, Jr. said around 8:27 a.m. a parent called saying there was a student with a handgun on campus. At around 9:17 a.m. two suspects were detained and a weapon was recovered.
District officials say the lockdown remains in place, but once it is lifted parents who want to pick up their children will be allowed to do so around 2 p.m.
ValleyCentral spoke with a Rio Grande City High School student about the alleged threat.
“We never thought this would have happened here. We would joke about it but now we’re seeing it happen,” the student said. “But now we’re seeing it happen. It’s real bad. It’s like something that you wouldn’t imagine that would happen here.”
In late January a Rio Grande City middle school student was arrested after making a threat on Snapchat. The student was arrested and charged with a terroristic threat, a class B misdemeanor.
In nearby Roma, the school district police department released the following statement on the situation:
“We want to reassure our Gladiator Nation parents, students, and staff that all our campuses are safe. There was an incident but this incident happened at a Rio Grande City Grulla ISD campus. We also have information that those campuses have also been made safe as of this post. Thank you and rest assured that all our Roma ISD campuses have and will remain safe.”
Gen. Ricardo Sanchez Elementary School also released a statement:
“Staff, out of precaution, every campus is being sent extra security, police officers, and DPS officers. Do not be alarmed when seeing them on campus. It is being done for extra safety measures. If parents contact you, please keep them at ease. Oftentimes, things are taken out of context upon seeing or hearing things so please rest assured that things are occurring just for extra precautionary measures. – Sanchez Elementary Principal
This is a developing story.
