South Texas school district shuts down after possible threat

May 26 (UPI) -- A South Texas school district announced it was shutting down its schools until Tuesday after receiving what officials said was a credible threat of violence.

In a letter to the community on Wednesday, the Donna Independent School district, which is near the Texas-Mexico border, said that out of an abundance of caution in light of the attack on Uvalde's Ross Elementary School on Tuesday, staff will work from home while students will have the time off.

"The safety and security of our students and staff is our first priority," the unsigned letter said. "Classes will resume on Tuesday morning."

A source told The Monitor that an AK-47 and a list of targeted students were found by law enforcement officers in the home of a suspect. No other details were given about the incident and how authorities discovered the supposed plot.

The threat comes after a gunman entered the Uvalde elementary school, roughly 80 miles from San Antonio, and opened fire in a classroom filled with elementary students and staff. The shooter killed 19 children and two teachers before law enforcement killed him.

The now-deceased Uvalde shooter, identified as Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, sent private social media messages before carrying out the deadly shooting rampage on Tuesday.

Authorities said Ramos used an AR-15-style rifle, a popular range of semiautomatic weapons, in the shooting. He purchased the weapon from a local sporting goods store.

In the Dallas suburb of Richardson on Wednesday, a teenage male was arrested outside of Berkner High School after police found a pistol and a replica AR-15 in the teen's vehicle. The teen, who was not identified, was arrested on a felony charge of unlawfully carrying weapons in a weapon-free school zone.