LEANDER, Texas -- A former Vandegrift High School student has been charged with making a terroristic threat after police said he made troubling posts on social media.
Police reported they received a message from the VHS safety director on Wednesday that there was a "serious situation" at the school. Officials later learned that a former student who graduated last year, Viet Duong, allegedly made a "disturbing" post on the social media site Instagram the night prior.
Duong, who was a part of the choir group and was reportedly removed by school administration, held resentment and animosity towards the group and the class, police said, and he had made earlier Instagram posts that depicted his anger and themes of violence.
Officials reported that on Tuesday, the choir group was a part of a larger event at University Presbyterian Church. Duong allegedly made a post at 10:10 p.m. including a photo from a church pew with the caption, "Coulda shot up that church and it would've felt like a Disneyland vacation."
Police said that post was shared across social media to current students of VHS, who brought it to the school's attention. Police reported Duong also made another post at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday in which he appeared to be inside a vehicle holding a gun.
Travis County officials later made contact with Duong at his home and said he voluntarily let patrol deputies look at his phone when questioned about his Instagram post. Duong reported that he only made one post, the one of him holding the gun, which was still found on his account. The screen name for both posts were the same, police said.
Officials reported that VHS administrators spoke to the choir group to address the fear of a school-related shooting because of his posts, and this fear spread beyond the choir group, urging the principal of VHS to release a letter to parents and guardians of the students.
Duong was charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony. His bond was set at $25,000, officials said.
Corey Ryan, a spokesperson for Leander ISD, said it was a student who originally reported the post to school administration, who then worked with school resource officers.
"We're very proud of our students who have the courage to stand up and say something when they feel that it's required to speak out," he said. "We're very fortunate to have such caring educators and caring principals, counselors across our district who have open doors and open ears for our students to be able to come to."