*Following racial protests at the University of Missouri this week that led to the school’s president and chancellor stepping down, campus police on Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old white man on suspicion of making what it called a “terrorist threat” on social media to shoot black people.
According to Reuters, Police identified the suspect as Hunter M. Park from Rolla, Missouri, about 95 miles south of Mizzou’s campus in Columbia. He was not a student, they added.
Police said the suspect’s threats had circulated on social media, including Yik Yak, where a posting tagged “Columbia” on Tuesday read: “I’m going to stand my ground tomorrow and shoot every black person I see.”
Yik Yak is an anonymous social media application that allows users to create and view posts within a five-mile radius. Yik Yak spokeswoman Hilary McQuaide said the company had worked with police to identify Park, adding the company may do so “when a post poses a risk of imminent harm.”
Police said they arrested Park at about 1:50 a.m. local time under Missouri law which prohibits communication of a life-endangering threat to at least 10 people. He was transported to Columbia and is being held at the Boone County Jail on $4,500 bond.
On Twitter on Wednesday morning, the hashtag #PrayForMizzou was trending in the United States and postings highlighted the anonymous threat on Yik Yak.
Despite a heavier-than-normal police presence on campus, a few students decided to return home because they felt unsafe, students told Reuters.
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