Boy arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot CPS staff member at track meet
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Three boys were detained at a track meet on Tuesday night at Rock Bridge High School.
One of the children was accused of threatening to shoot a Columbia Public Schools staff member, according to Columbia Police Department Assistant Chief Mark Fitzgerald. The other two boys were taken into custody for fighting.
Police were initially called just after 8 p.m. about multiple fights occurring, Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said that no one ever reported seeing a gun and officers did not find a gun at the scene. A CPS middle school calendar shows that an eighth-grade track meet took place at the high school.
CPD Lt. Derek Moore told an ABC 17 News photographer at the scene on Tuesday night that the three main people in the fight were detained, no injuries were reported and no shots were fired.
Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark reiterated in an email that there was no gun used in any threat to staff and that it was a verbal threat.
“Yesterday, we experienced an unfortunate incident at our meet. There were words exchanged between several students and an altercation between a small group of students occurred that required adult intervention. We recognize this incident, which took place toward the end of our meet, may have been alarming,” an email to families provided by Baumstark says.
The email to families said the incident was quickly resolved and the students involved will “receive appropriate consequences from both the school and MSHSAA for their behavior.”
The statement says officers also responded to a second disturbance that took place off campus.
Check back for updates.