St. Francis police: Rumors that student threatened middle school were 'fabricated'

Threat investigation at St. Francis Middle School

Police are investigating an alleged threat at St. Francis Middle School. FOX 9's Se Kwon has the story.

ST. FRANCIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Francis police say rumors that accused a middle school student of making threats against the school were meritless and "fabricated" by other students.

St. Francis threats

What we know:

On Friday, police said a loaded rifle magazine was found by a group of students near the football field bleachers.

Officers said the magazine was loaded with .22 caliber ammo but no firearm was found on campus. Officers said there had been a sporting event the previous night at the school.

What they're saying:

Over the weekend, FOX 9 received multiple tips from concerned parents, who said a student had indeed threatened the school and was the one who had left the magazine on campus.

Some parents opted to keep their children home on Monday due to those concerns. However, police told FOX 9 on Monday morning they had substantiated a real threat.

Threat claims were fabricated, police say

Local perspective:

In an update on Monday evening, police say the claims against the student in question were fabricated.

First, officers say they were able to identify who the magazine belonged to and the person confirmed they had unintentionally left the magazine while attending the sporting event Thursday night.

Second, police looked into the alleged threats made on Snapchat by the student, and found those were fake as well.

Police statement:

"Regarding the magazine found on school property, the investigation has revealed that the allegation the magazine was placed by a student was fabricated by other students," police wrote. "The investigation also revealed that the threat circulating online and shared through Snapchat alleging that a student threatened to shoot up the school was also fabricated by other students."

Police say there is no evidence that there is any real threat against the school, students, staff, or the public at large.