
Facebook shooting threat a hoax rocks Grambling and Ruston
;/It was late into the night on Aug. 27, 2018, when a threat against Grambling State University went viral. It did not take long before social media users took screenshots and the image of a man posing credible threats circulated GSU’s campus causing concern amongst students.
The Facebook account attached to a man named Jarrell L. Johnson made this post. “I’m going on a murder spree tomorrow [in] Ruston [at] [Louisiana Tech’s] campus and [Grambling’s] campus. I’m killing all ni***** and crayon colors. Fu***** minorities.”
After further investigation, the Ruston Police Department concluded that someone hacked Johnson’s page. Johnson was shocked to hear about his account, as Johnson was at home with his family when he found out. “All of a sudden, I was alerted by a phone call that I was being hacked,” said Johnson.
It was not too long before RPD searched Johnson’s home. There, they found nothing linking him to the threat. “This could not have been me. For me to try to explain to [RPD] that it was not me [was] a tough task.”
Though it was not Johnson making the threats, this post was still unsettling to many students. Among those students is Natahzja Sewell, an on-campus student from Camden, N.J. Sewell, 20, is a mass communication major, and the bulk of her classes are in the Washington Johnson Complex, a building at the start of campus.
Sewell, being without a car, did not feel safe to walk to her classes from her dorm.
“I was immediately on high alert, and I just wanted to feel safe,” said Sewell. “I am so far from home, and I have no way to get home quickly. There is no accessible late-night transportation in Grambling, so I was completely out of luck. I do not think people understand how hard it is to know that you are potentially unsafe and there is nothing you can do about it.”
On the other hand, some students were not worried at all after RPD concluded that Johnson’s account was hacked. Shametrashun Walker, 23, is an off-campus student. Walker, a senior majoring in kinesiology, was afraid before knowing all of the facts.
“When I first read the post, I was scared,” said Walker. “When I did more research, I found the police report saying that he was hacked, so I was no longer worried. Also, the wording of the post made me realize it was probably just some racist guy trying to scare us.”
Both GSU and LaTech released statements regarding the threat. Both schools summarized that the post was fraudulent and that the schools’ police departments will be on high alert.
All police departments are still looking to find the source of this post, and people with information regarding the post are asked to share that information.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More thegramblinite News Articles
- Black History Fact
- ‘Recovering A Lost Identity: The Healing of Black America’ event to beg...
- BizTech winners advance at Undergraduate Research Symposium
- State experiencing high STI/STD rates
Recent thegramblinite News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR THEGRAMBLINITE

Softball off to best start since 2001 season By Jalon Grant

2019 football signee class includes four JUCO transfers By Deja Harrison and Joshua Bell

Running backs coach Lee Fobbs to retire after 47 years By Joshua Bell
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THEGRAMBLINITE NEWS
- ‘Eclipsed’ tells the story of Liberian war strife through the eyes of for...
- Grambling student moonlights as DJ, hopes to turn passion into career
- 20 Questions
- GSU student is CEO of natural skin and hair care company
- GSU men post back-to-back losses
- Baseballers win two of three as season opens
- Softball team still undefeated at 6-0
RECENT THEGRAMBLINITE CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- Millennials Most “At Risk” When It Comes To Life Ins...
- Coalition Vows To Reform Dark Underbelly Of Timeshare...
- Helping Heroes
- What To Do About The Flu
- Save Energy And Money
- Five Tips To Help Kickstart Your Savings
- How Do We Know LASIK Is Safe?
- Building A Medicaid Bipartisan Bridge
- Footballer Jerry Rice Makes Big Play For Kidney Health
- Tips For Easy Snow Removal
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- Online Conference Connects Global Startups and Investors
- Corporate Takeover Tale Offers Blueprint for Survival
- Women Say They're Ready to Put Their Money to Work for Them
- This Year, Rethink The Way You Plan a Vacation
- Fall in Love with UPtv's New Uplifting Series: Design Twins
- Pop the Question with the Perfect Song
- Post-Holiday Wake-up Call: Signs Senior Loved Ones May...
- New Year, New Goals: Tools to Get You Where You Want to Go
- How Self-Publishing Made This Author A Best-Seller
- Big Swings in The Market Haven't Dampened People's Optimism
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- bitcoinfun.net
- Struggling Student Launches Mobile App GrahamMe That Awards Daily Scholarships and Cash Prizes
- Enter the 2019 SVG/NACDA College Sports Media Awards Today!
- Cengage Offers College Students Free Access to Career Resources with Cengage Unlimited Subscription
- ACTA Launches HowCollegesSpendMoney.com