VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Police Department on Friday addressed a social media post that has been circulating on Facebook and creating fear.
The post shows a text message chain that reads:
"Stay out of Walmart this weekend. Just got a text from a friend that an officer (his friend) said they arrested a man in Virginia Beach on suspected mass shooting and the suspect told them he was part of a group that would be shooting up Walmarts this weekend."
Multiple viewers reached out to 13News Now concerned about the post. Similar text messages have been making the rounds that claim more attacks could be coming to Walmart or Target locations across the country.
In a tweet, the police department said they are aware of the threat, and that similar threats have been made nationwide.
"There is no validity in the information being connected to Virginia Beach," the tweet said.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office also commented about the threat:
"We have had a few calls and messages about the forwarded text messages referencing Walmart and violence. This is not only a regional issue, but also a national one. Law Enforcement is aware. While we take all threats seriously we and other law enforcement agencies have not received any evidence to believe this is a credible threat."
We always encourage concerned citizens to message us or call us.
The nationwide threats come just after the deadly mass shootings this month in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas.
While they aren't identical, the messages share many things in common. They claim to have come from an unidentified friend in law enforcement and that nearby Walmarts are at risk.
A similar message from Rock Hill, South Carolina, reads:
"Got this info from a police officer that is a family member they arrested a man for gun threats and he told them that he was not the only one and that his accomplices will be going to different Wal-Mart stores and shooting."
Rock Hill Police said they were aware of the posts as well.
It's impossible to know for certain if the threats are real, but it is very important to know that authorities are aware and they are investigating.