Student arrested for Fresno State social media threat

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno State student, accused of making threats to the campus on social media, is out of jail.

Christian Pryor is accused of threatening a school shooting on campus. Pryor is an 18-year-old freshman from Los Angeles. But now he's facing a very serious charge that investigators aren't taking lightly.

On social media, news travels fast. "A lot of people are freaking out and it's a little scary," said Michelle Peres, Fresno State student.

Peres was at Fresno State when she heard the news. "I left my class and I don't really want to be here for the rest of the day."

Police say early Monday, Pryor sent out a threatening message through an app called Yik Yak. "The texts contained information as to the time it would occur, a little bit of information about why the individual was going to do it, and the kind of weapon the individual was going to use," said Chief David Huerta, Fresno State Police Department.

It's an app that lets a user post anonymously, but that's not a guarantee. "We took this information and quickly were able to track down the phone number that delivered the Yik Yak. In working with the company itself, we were able to get an IP address and more information," Huerta explained.

Fresno State police arrested Pryor within hours after posting on the app. By then, classes and activities all over campus had been disrupted. "As soon as we were alerted that the suspect was in custody, and we were assured that the person in question acted alone, we notified the campus that classes would continue," said Provost Lynnette Zelezny, Fresno State.

The freshman football player now faces state and possibly federal charges and is being held on a $20,000 bond.