Fresno State Student|Arrested in Gun Threat

FRESNO, Calif. (CN) - A Fresno State University football player was arrested Monday after he threatened to "release my frustrations" by bringing a gun to campus and taking "a headshot at a hot blonde," police said.

Christian Pryor, 18, was arrested after the threat was posted on Yik Yak, an anonymous social media application.

Pryor, a graduate of Locke High School in South Los Angeles, was a freshman walk-on for the Fresno State Bulldogs, but had not appeared in a game this season.

The threat posted on Yik Yak late Monday morning said: "the time is here. @3PM I will release my frustrations. Tired of dirty looks, get rejected, nd being talked about bc how I dress. My choice of weapon M4 Carbine and I will take a headshot at a hot blonde."

The message, which included a photo of the Henry Madden Library on the university campus, spread quickly across social media as people continued to repost it.

Fresno State Police Chief David Huerta said authorities heard of the threat at about noon.

"We took this information and quickly were able to track down the phone number that had delivered the Yik Yak. In working with the company itself, Yik Yak, we were able to get an IP address and more information," Huerta said.

Police tracked down Pryor at the Duncan Building in the center of Fresno State's athletic complex and arrested him. Fresno State announced on its Twitter account at 2:28 p.m. Monday that a student had been arrested.

Police said Pryor was acting alone and confessed to writing the message.

"To have this kind of incident occur is never good, is never healthy," Huerta said. "I'm bothered by it significantly. It's something that I really hoped that we'd never experience."

Fresno State representatives said they were prepared to evacuate the campus when they learned of the threats around noon Monday, but worried that doing so could cause panic or even a series of car collisions on the wet streets.

The university informed faculty, staff and students of the threat and posted updates on its Twitter account.

Fresno State Provost Lynnette Zelezny said that as soon as the university was "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."

Student Alice Ramirez said she was on campus when she read about the threat on Facebook. She and her friends "just left right away. We didn't know if it was a joke or what, but we wanted to be safe."

Pryor was released from jail at 11:40 p.m. Monday after posting $20,000 bail. He has been banned from the campus and removed from the football team.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit