Viet Quoc Duong, 18
2017 VHS grad jailed after posting threats
By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News
Last week, Vandegrift students and administrators acted swiftly to alert the school and community about a terroristic threat from Viet Quoc Duong, a 2017 VHS graduate.
Duong, 18, was released from the Travis County Jail on Friday night after being arrested on Wednesday for making threatening posts on social media the night before toward the VHS choir — a group he was removed from last year.
“We are proud of our students for quickly and appropriately reporting messaging they saw on social media that involved the safety of our school,” said Charlie Little, principal at Vandegrift.
The VHS staff works through drills and scenarios involving various safety situations, established through Leander ISD, local police and the Texas School Safety Center.
“As educators, the best way to keep kids safe is to build relationships with students and partnerships with every family and staff member, so we
are all empowered to speak up when a concern arises,” Little said.
What happened
The arrest affidavit said that on Tuesday, Feb. 27, the Vandegrift choir group was performing at University Presbyterian Church on San Antonio Street not far from the University of Texas campus. At 10:10 p.m., Duong posted a comment to his Instagram account on a photo of a church pew, “Coulda shot up that church and it would’ve felt like Disneyland.”
The affidavit said Duong was at the choir performance but some say he posted a comment on a photo from the performance.
Thirty-five minutes later, the affidavit said that another image posted showed Duong in a vehicle holding a gun.
VHS students circulated the posts on social media and then they brought the situation to the attention of administrators, saying they were afraid of a school shooting, according to the arrest affidavit.
Travis County Sheriff’s deputies went to Duong’s home and, according to the affidavit, found that he had saved the photo on his phone of him with the gun that was posted from the same account as the image in the church.
The affidavit also said, “Duong has resentment and animosity toward the choir group and the class… He has older Instagram posts that depict his anger and these are mostly with a theme of violence.”
Duong was booked into the Travis County Jail on Feb. 28 on a charge of making a terroristic threat. The third-degree felony is punishable up to 10 years in prison. His bail was set at $25,000, according officials.
At 12:35 p.m. on Feb. 28, Principal Little sent out an email to Vandegrift families stating:
“We received information that a former student posted a threatening image and message on Instagram. Because it was a former student, we immediately notified law enforcement. The Travis County Sheriff’s office has arrested the individual on felony charges, and he is presently in police custody.
We have no information to suggest there is a threat to our campus.
If your student has additional concerns or questions about his or her safety, please refer them to our administrative team or their school counselor, and we will provide the appropriate support.
I am extremely grateful for the individuals who were proactive and shared this concern with us so we could promptly investigate the issue and involve law enforcement. Thank you for your continued support of Vandegrift High School.”
Duong was released on March 2 at 7:58 p.m. on personal recognizance bond, said Kristen Dark, Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. This type of bond is granted by a court judge once the review of an individual’s case and criminal history has been completed and the individual does not pose a threat to the community.