A New Jersey school district was forced to shelter-in-place after receiving threats related to a social media post regarding Wednesday’s murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Linden School District was “flooded with threats” on Thursday, after a school employee was wrongfully identified as the person who penned the comments about Kirk.
Police in a statement emphasized that the commentor “is not, nor has ever been, an employee of Linden Public Schools, Linden, New Jersey.”
Due to the resulting threats, though, “all Linden Public Schools were immediately placed in shelter in place.” Linden police added they were “working closely with Linden Public Schools to investigate these threats.”
Authorities also noted there would be an increased police presence at all district schools.
“It is understandable for people to have strong emotions following yesterday’s horrific events, and we join those who have condemned this killing in strongest of terms,” the police statement said Thursday. “Violence is never the answer, and threats of violence like this have no place in our society, and certainly not in our schools.”
The specific nature of the comments referencing the killing of Kirk were not provided.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot Wednesday during a student Q&A at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour.” He was struck by a single bullet during the outdoor event on the Orem campus and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Kirk, a staunch supporter of President Trump, was CEO and the co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA.
Video later shared on social media sees Kirk sitting under a white tent before he is shot.
Police said the shooter fired from several hundred feet away, likely from on top of a building, and then slipped away in the chaos triggered by the gunfire.
While no suspect had been identified as of Thursday afternoon, the FBI released images of a person of interest sought in connection with the shooting.
