‘Hit list’ leads to panic, arrest of Hooks teen

HOOKS, Texas — A 15-year-old is being held in the Bowie County Juvenile Detention Center for allegedly creating a fake “hit list” and causing hysteria in the community.

The teen was arrested on charges of felony false alarm or report involving a public primary or secondary school, according to the Hooks Police Department.

The rumors about the incident caused “mass hysteria” and upset many parents and others in the community, Hooks police Sgt. Leslie Hunter said.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, Hooks High School was placed on lockdown for precautionary measures following a suspicious persons incident reported to the Hooks Police Department. The incident was occurring off campus and was unrelated to the school.

Rumors then began spreading that the lockdown was due to a student having a “hit list,” and threatening to shoot up the school.

School administrators and the school resource officer conducted an investigation and determined the allegations were only rumors that no actual threat or hit list existed.

Rumors continued to spread and on Thursday, Dec. 10, it was reported that a parent had posted the list on Social Media.

This posting caused a stir among students and parents, and many students did not attend school the next day, Hunter said.

Further investigation revealed the posted list had been fabricated by a 15-yearold student, and provided to parents, hoping for a day off from school.