COON RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO/AP) — A fight at a football game moves to Facebook and ends with a student telling others to kill themselves. Now, police are trying to find out who posted it.
Coon Rapids Police say it all started in late October at a football game between Blaine and Coon Rapids. Police Captain John Hattstrom says two groups of middle school girls started arguing at the game.
NewsRadio 830 WCCO’s Edgar Linares Reports
“Since then there’s been pretty much constant social media attacks on each other,” said Hattstrom. “Then within the last week the incident kind of changed. In addition to the normal insults that they were sending back and forth, added a portion on a fake Facebook page that this other group should just commit suicide.”
That’s when Anoka Hennepin School officials got involved and so did the police. They’re now working with the district to find out where the post came from since it was posted by someone using a false Facebook account.
Hattstrom says they take this kind of suicidal suggestion seriously. In the last few years, six students have taken their own lives in the Anoka Hennepin School district.
“Things that have happened in the past have definitely affected how these things are investigated,” said Hattstrom.
Earlier this year, the district settled a lawsuit filed by students who felt bullied for being gay. The school agreed to be more proactive when it comes bullying.
Police say once they find the person who placed the suicidal post, they’ll turn the case over to the county attorney. They could also be in serious trouble with the district.
“We’re encouraging parents to keep track of what they’re kids are doing on computers,” said Hattstrom. “This whole thing probably could’ve been avoided if they were paying attention to what their kids were using social media for.”
WCCO Radio attempted to contact the school district, but has not received a response yet.
