Mass shooting video being sent from unknown numbers

The Williamsville School District is warning the community to be careful opening text messages from unknown cellphone numbers. The warning comes after people around the region received the recording of the Jefferson Avenue Tops mass shooting from random numbers.

Dear Williamsville Central School District Families and Staff,

I want to share an update with our school community regarding information we have received following the traumatic event that unfolded in Buffalo this past weekend. The District was made aware that videos from the violent attack are being text messaged to random numbers throughout our region. We have been informed by the Amherst Police Department (APD) that students in our District have unfortunately been the recipient of these random messages and have reported them.

In our discussions with APD, these text messages, which appear to have numbers from different states and countries, appear to be spammed and are currently being investigated.

Please have a discussion with your child(ren) and members of your school community. If you or your child(ren) receive a text message from a number you do not recognize, avoid opening that message. No one should have to relive or be re-traumatized from the images of terror that unfolded last Saturday.

Our administrators, counselors, and mental health support staff continue to be available for any student or staff member that needs someone to talk to or ask questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Darren J. Brown-Hall
 Superintendent of Schools