Milwaukee police have arrested a 16-year-old male for making threats to Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA).
Police say they were made aware of the threats about 10:45 p.m. on Sunday. HAPA was open as usual Tuesday with an increased police presence. In a message sent to parents, HAPA says the threat was not deemed credible but some parents still decided to keep their kids home to be safe.
"My mother decided to make the kids stay home for safety," Mohamed Ibrahim said. "Because she's scared."
"I was scared," Mina Xiong said. "I was afraid."Xiong's son is in 8th grade at HAPA.
While she was fearful, she says she trusts the school to take care of their kids.
"My kids were like, I don't think we should go," Xiong said. "But I said, I don't think you need to worry. The school is pretty good about announcing anything or letting us know there's something that's a threat they feel the kids should be at home. I haven't heard anything yet. I know HAPA is on top of it. They wouldn't hide anything or let the kids come to school or be in danger."
Xiong's son Ethan says despite the teenager being arrested, the threat had an impact at school.
"Half of my class was absent," he said.
The school put out this message to families:
The investigation will be reviewed by the District Attorney's Office.
Stay with TODAY'S TMJ4 for updates.
