Ralston Valley student arrested in Snapchat threat reported hours after Evergreen shooting

A Ralston Valley High School student was arrested in connection with a threatening Snapchat photo reported to police the same day a gunman shot and seriously wounded two Evergreen High School students.

Hours after the Sept. 10 shooting, Arvada police officers started investigating hundreds of Safe2Tell reports about a photo of a rifle and ammunition with the words “Be ready rv” that was sent to multiple students on Snapchat.

Investigators contacted the student suspected of the post, who is a juvenile, that night but did not have evidence to pursue criminal charges, police said Wednesday. 

Police linked the photo to a French social media post from 2024 and determined the threat was not credible, although 1,100 students did not attend school the next day.

Officers continued investigating the student suspected of making the post and found digital links to the incident, including internet searches for “snap with gun be ready,” “survivors of columbine,” “worst school shooting in america” and the names of the Columbine High School shooters.

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The student’s search history also contained questions about what would happen if a minor made a school shooting threat, if it was a federal offense and if there was a way a police officer could come to their house and talk to them.