Gulliver Academy scare comes before active shooter training

Chief: Social media posts viewed as threat will be investigated

CORAL GABLES, Fla. ā€“ It was a rifle. It just wasn't real. A Gulliver Academy student's social media post prompted an intense Coral Gables Police Department investigation ahead of Wednesday's scheduled active shooter training.Ā 

During the investigation, the department assigned additional patrolĀ units at the student's school, Gulliver Academy's Marian C. Krutulis Campus, on Tuesday.Ā Chief Edward HudakĀ said the Monday afternoon post wasn't a real threat, but there was a lesson to be learned.Ā 

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"Students, parents and guardians are reminded that social media posts that could be viewed as a threat will be investigated by law enforcement to its fullest," HudakĀ said.Ā 

Officer Kelly Denham, a spokesperson for the department, said officers questioned the student and secured the weapon, which turned out to be an airsoft rifle, which usesĀ spherical projectiles made out of plastic or metal and not bullets as feared.Ā 

The student's home was "inspected to ensure any weapons that could be at the residence are securely stored, which they were," Denham said.Ā 

Denham said it was a "coincidence" that the scare happenedĀ ahead of a Wednesday scheduled active shooter training with Gulliver Academy staff.Ā 


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About the Authors:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.