Columbia Heights Public Schools are closed on Monday “due to a credible threat,” the district said.
“No students or staff should report to school today,” Columbia Heights Public Schools wrote on social media.
The district said the closure was “out of an abundance of caution.” It gave no information about the nature of the threat. WCCO has reached out to the Columbia Heights Police Department for more information.
The district includes five schools and has about 3,400 students, according to its website.
A Fort Worth 17-year-old accused of making social media threats to kill children at North Texas schools is part of a neo-Nazi group, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Investigators believe Evan Banda, who is charged with terroristic threat and terrorism, joined a “violent international neo-Nazi and accelerationist extremist group” after meeting one of the organization’s leaders on a video game platform, a Fort Worth police detective wrote in the affidavit.
The name of the group was redacted in the copy of the warrant released to the Star-Telegram, but police wrote that the group “adheres to a ‘Nihilistic National socialist’ philosophy, combining neo-Nazi and Satanic ideologies. They promote extreme violence and chaos to bring about the collapse of western society, in this particular case, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas.”
When they became aware of the threats on Jan. 6, police said they were working with agencies including the FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety to investigate the posts, and they had strong reason to believe the threats were not credible but were created with the “sole purpose of inciting fear.”
The detective described a video posted on social media by the group showing Crowley Middle School, which was recorded by Banda on Jan. 6 while he was riding his bike, the affidavit states. The video included the captions, “North Crowley School. You’ll Be The First (Expletive). Your Time Has Come. We’re Going To Kill A Lot Of Children. Blood Will Be Shed In You.”
Someone posted a comment under the video saying, “We are planning attacks in Texas, we will post all the evidence and videos in our channel. Many children will die.”
In another video described in the affidavit, a masked man holding a handgun said, “I have a rifle, a pistol, explosives and around 700 rounds of ammunition. I am confident I can kill 50 children, but I am not alone. My associates will be entering schools and start killing people. We will come to all the schools.“
The following schools were listed in the post with the video:
Andrews Elementary School
Baranoff Elementary School
Barrington Elementary School
Lake Dallas High School
South Hills High School
Arlington Heights High School
Castleberry High School
Nolan Catholic High School
Watson High School
Timber Creek High School
Eagle Mountain High School
RMA Fort Worth Public School
Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School
North Crowley High School
Police say Banda also recorded videos when he set five cars on fire in a south Fort Worth neighborhood near Fox Run Park between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Those videos were shared on related social media accounts, the affidavit states.
Investigators first obtained a warrant to search Banda’s home in connection with the arson case. When he was interviewed by police, Banda initially denied any involvement in the arsons but later admitted to setting the fires, according to the affidavit.
Based on Banda’s phone records and what he told detectives, it was determined that he was an active member of the group that made the threats of mass shootings at schools, the affidavit states.
Banda told detectives that he participated in the threats out of fear of being “doxxed,” meaning his private information like name, address and phone numbers would be published online.
The teenager’s phone also revealed that in a group chat it was discussed that Banda would take video at Crowley schools to confirm whether law enforcement was present. No police were visible at the middle school when he recorded the video on Jan. 6.
“Once the group realized that there was no law enforcement at the school, one member suggested that the video be utilized to suggest that the Crowley Middle School is the first location that this group would be killing children at,” the affidavit states.
Detectives noted in the affidavit that Banda at times “participated in the discussion of the offense” in the group chat. Banda told police that another person involved in planning the threats is a student at North Crowley High School.
Banda is being held in the Tarrant County Jail with bond set at almost $2 million. The 17-year-old also is charged with possession of child pornography because of a video found in his possession the depicted the sexual assault of a child, according to a complaint filed by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 9:09 PM.
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.
No gun was found following a report of one being flashed by a student at a high school football game on Friday night in Sartell, Minnesota. Police in the city say they’re investigating the incident.
According to Sartell police, they received “several reports” from parents whose children reported hearing a high school student had flashed a gun at others near the end of the game. Officers say no one was threatened, but they tried to find the student who allegedly flashed the gun. However, they learned the student had left the game with a parent.
Police, as well as members of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, worked to contact the parent. Sartell officials say the parent and student were cooperative and denied possessing a gun at the game or telling anyone that he was carrying a gun while being questioned. Deputies then searched for a gun, but they didn’t find one.
Police did follow-up interviews with game attendees and said that no one saw a gun flashed. They also say no one was directly told that a gun was seen. In addition, police say all the witnesses they’ve talked to were told by other friends who heard about a student flashing a gun.
Currently, officials say there’s no evidence the student in question was armed.
While police add it’s important to speak up and report potential threats or anything suspicious, they also don’t want false reports made, as they have also seen an increase in fake claims that create large-scale “chaos and hysteria.” Police say they’ll be working to find the original source of the report and to make sure there wasn’t any intent to make a false claim.
A teenager is in custody after police say he confessed to threatening a school in Nevis, Minnesota, on Thursday.
According to the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, a report came in around 3:15 p.m. of a student who had threatened to bring a gun to school and start shooting. In addition, administrators told police the student directly threatened to shoot a particular student before turning the gun on himself.
School leaders and deputies interviewed students who witnessed the threats being made. After, deputies met with the accused student, as well as one of his parents, at their home. That’s where authorities say the student confessed to making the threats.
The teenager, identified as a 14-year-old boy by the sheriff’s office, was arrested and then brought to Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center in Bemidji.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
While classes are being held on Friday in Princeton, Minnesota, there will be a higher level of security at all school buildings due to a potential threat.
According to social media posts made by Princeton Public Schools, an unverified threat directed at Princeton Middle School was posted on social media. The person who made the unverified threat to the school hasn’t been identified by police at this time.
The district said increased safety protocols will be in place on Friday, which include more police presence at each building. Staff members are also providing heightened safety protocols.
Anyone with information about the person who made the post is asked to contact either the police or the school district. District leaders also ask parents, students and staff to stay calm and avoid spreading fear.
If parents choose to keep their child home on Friday, the district asks that you contact the correct school to report the absence, which will be excused.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for D.C. said it seized six firearms from a student after its agents saw a post that made a potential threat to a local school.
Special Agents from
ATF Washington
and Metro Transit Police Department quickly intervened and interrupted what could’ve possibly led to a school shooting incident in(Courtesy ATF Washington)
Special Agents from
ATF Washington
and Metro Transit Police Department quickly intervened and interrupted what could’ve possibly led to a school shooting incident in(Courtesy ATF Washington)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for D.C. said Thursday it seized six firearms from a student after its agents saw an “alarming social media post” that made a potential threat to a local school.
The ATF confirmed with WTOP it collaborated with the Metro Transit Police Department to execute a search warrant Wednesday at the residence where the student lived. The teen was placed under arrest and officials seized six weapons and over 50 bullets.
In a post on X, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said the officers’ “quick work prevented a very serious threat to our community.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “This is the kind of incredible police work that saves lives.”
No information about the juvenile or the school where the threat was made has been released.
An investigation is ongoing in this case.
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PONSFORD, Minn. — Authorities arrested a teen girl after she allegedly threatened a shooting at a school in northern Minnesota Thursday.
The threat against Pine Point School in Ponsford came in Thursday around 7 p.m., according to the Becker County Sheriff’s Office.
The school canceled classes Friday because of the threat.
The sheriff’s office took a 13-year-old girl into custody after investigating.
“From the initial investigation there was no indication of any imminent danger to the school, staff, or students from this incident,” the sheriff’s office said.
Earlier this month, a 12-year-old girl was arrested and released from custody after police said she made threats on social media to several schools in St. Paul. The girl did not have “the means or desire to carry out the threat,” according to the St. Paul Police Department.
