The Tarapacá Regional Prosecutor's Office has launched probes into at least three reports of school shooting threats in the region, occurring on Wednesday. The PDI is conducting investigations at the affected schools, with some suspending classes on Thursday. Similar incidents were reported in other parts of the country.
Regional prosecutor Virginia Aravena reported that complaints were filed about shooting threats found in school bathrooms on Wednesday. She tasked the PDI's Criminal Investigation Brigade (Bicrim) with conducting inquiries to identify those responsible. Some schools chose to suspend classes on Thursday.
In Iquique, the PDI probed Colegio Humberstone and three other schools. Subprefecto Cristian Mellado, head of the local Bicrim, stated: “Todo esto está aún en etapa de investigación, por lo cual no nos podemos pronunciar si las amenazas son juegos o no. Siempre hay que tomar que si fueran reales, con la finalidad de poder darle el apoyo a la comunidad escolar”.
Similar incidents in other regions prompted evacuations and suspensions. In Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta evacuated its Coloso campus after spotting two people handling a firearm in a parking lot, according to Colonel Luis Muñoz. In Valparaíso, Santa Filomena school in Quintero halted classes due to graffiti referencing a shooting. In Coquimbo, Universidad del Alba's La Serena campus was cleared over a social media threat; rector Rafael Rosell explained the shift to virtual classes to prevent physical harm.
