A bullet found in a hallway Tuesday afternoon at Houston Schools may have led to the discovery of threats made by a student.
Dr. Allen Moss, superintendent, said the two situations are not believed to be related. But he does think news of the bullet may be directly linked to a student telling an administrator about threats made by a fellow student. The 16-year-old boy faces charges through the juvenile system.
“We’re thankful for the student that came forward,” Moss said. “The bullet issue may have led them to say, ‘Hey, I heard this,’ and led to the investigation that showed there was some credibility to the threat.”
Moss said the .45 caliber bullet was found around 2:20 p.m. and turned into the office. School officials immediately contacted the Houston Police Department to investigate.
“We do not know where it came from,” Moss said. “But at this point, we have nothing to link it to the threat. We’re treating it as two separate incidents.”
Chief Tim Ceplina said his officers and school officials reviewed surveillance video and could not determine the source of the bullet. He said he believes it was an accident.
“This is rural Missouri. Kids around here hunt and recreationally shoot,” he said. “It’s inevitable that a kid might have something in their pocket. Not that it’s not a serious situation, but every now and then it happens.
“We don’t need to sugarcoat things. I do not believe it is related whatsoever.”
What was serious were the threats made by the suspect. Moss said a student shared concerning statements made by the person with school officials, who passed along the information to authorities. Houston police conducted multiple interviews and determined the threats were credible ones.
“The student made comments about the shooting in Florida — that it wasn’t done right and things that were concerning,” Moss said.