FIU police warn students of possible threat after picture of gun posted on social media

Police warned students and faculty at the main campus of Florida International University of a potential threat Wednesday afternoon after someone posted a picture of a weapon and mentioned the West Miami-Dade campus on the social media site WhatsApp.

FIU Police Capt. Delrish Moss said local, state and federal law enforcement had been notified and were helping to locate the person who posted the perceived threat. By late afternoon, the person had not been identified.

Moss said the threat was posed during a group chat that included at least some FIU students, in which one person egged on another to put words into action. That’s when the person posted the picture of a weapon and mentioned a location on campus.

Moss warned the department was just taking precautionary measures and urged anyone with any information to come forward. He said his department was notified by someone who saw the post.

“At this point, we’re not even certain it’s a threat,” Moss said.

The warning comes on the heels of several threats made after the mass shootings earlier this month in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. CNN reported last week that more than two dozen people had been arrested after threatening mass shootings, including several in Florida.

Moss said he wasn’t certain how police were initially informed of the posting.

The bulletin sent to students and faculty asked that anyone aware of who created the post contact FIU police at 305-348-2626, or in the case of an emergency call 305-348-5911.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 5:37 PM.