Rock Hill Police are taking “proactive and preventative measures” following threats that have been made on social media against Walmart stores, according to Rock Hill Police Lieutenant Michael Chavis.
Chavis said that threats have been circulating in the wake of an incident in Florida where a 26-year-old man from Winter Park made a post on Facebook that mentioned an AR-15 rifle and said that people should stay away from Walmart.
Threats involving Walmart have been made in other locations including Gibsonton, Florida as well as Missouri and Texas.
All of these threats and incidents come on the heels of a deadly shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 22 people dead and many others wounded. The shooter in El Paso was motivated by “hate,” “racism” and a “desire to eliminate people from the face of the Earth” said Texas governor Greg Abbott.
The incident in Missouri led to charges of making a terrorist threat in the second degree for 20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko. He denied any connections to terrorism.
“I just want people to know there was no evil to what I did. This was not a hate-inspired act. This was purely innocent — the timing was just so off. I would never want to hurt anyone,” Andreychenko said, according to Springfield, Missouri’s KYTV-TV.
The Sheriff’s Office of Marion County, South Carolina recently made a Facebook post regarding tips they had gotten about text messages which warned of possible shootings at Walmart stores being circulated.
The post from the sheriff’s office said that they had been in contact with the Marion Police Department, and while the origins of the message were unclear, they had deemed the warning to be a hoax.
Chavis said that the threats made on social media have been tailored to specific Walmart stores and that police have been following up on information.
All of the Walmart stores in the Rock Hill area are patrolled by law enforcement officers, Chavis said, citing their locations on three heavily-travelled roads in Rock Hill.
Chavis said that some Walmart stores have begun bringing in off-duty officers in order to have extra and visible security.
On Aug. 14, the Rock Hill Police Department made a post on Facebook which read, in part, “Due to recent nationwide events that have spurred social media posts we are aware of threats that are circulating involving Walmart. Public Safety is paramount and these threats are taken seriously.”
The Facebook post encouraged anyone who has information or tips to contact the Rock Hill Police Department.
