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NATCHEZ — A “suspicious text message” was circulated at Natchez High School related to rumors of a shooting, prompting law enforcement to come onto campus.

School district spokesperson Tony Fields said the text message had been passed at the school via Apple’s AirDrop feature speculating that a shooting was going to happen.

“Once school officials were alerted, law enforcement was alerted,” Fields said.

However, as rumors of the message circulated among the student body, the message morphed into something else, Fields said.

“It was rumored that it was going to be a shooting in the community that morphed into a shooting at the school,” Field said.

Eventually, people speculated that the school had been locked down because juveniles who had escaped a Hinds County juvenile lockup earlier this week were there.

This was only a rumor and not true, he said.

“The school did not have to go into lockdown. Local law enforcement was there within minutes but the new high school is very secure anyway,” Fields said, noting that day-to-day school activities were able to continue as usual with no interruptions.

The matter of the “suspicious text message” is still being investigated, Fields said.

In response, the school district shared the following message to the community on its social media page.

“Natchez-Adams School District officials are aware of a suspicious text message circulating today. Our schools are secure, and local law enforcement is actively investigating the situation. Thank you to the community of Natchez Adams County for your concern and support!”