This gun was posted on social media by a student threatening to “shoot up” Benicia High School last week.

(This article was originally published in the Feb. 23 print edition of the Herald)

Galen Kusic, Editor

A juvenile suspect remained in custody Fri. following a social media post that surfaced on Thur. night that read, “shooting up Benicia High tomorrow.” Some parents kept students out of school on Fri. as the Benicia Police Department (BPD) had an increased presence at the high schools throughout the day.

“At this time, we have not established any legitimacy to the threat,” a statement from BPD read. “Our detectives are continuing to investigate the case.”

Despite the threat, all schools remained in session. In an original statement, the Benicia Unified School District (BUSD) noted that while these threats can often be hoaxes, “we are taking the threat very seriously.” BUSD also thanked those that reached out to report the social media thread.

“We are continuing to work closely with the Benicia Police Department,” a follow up statement from BUSD read. “BPD continues their efforts to identify and arrest anyone else in creating these posts. The police have indicated that there is no other information that would validate the credibility of the post or any other information that an attack is imminent.”

One of the social media posts was of a .357 handgun and ammunition with the caption, “back to school shopping.” According to EdWeek.org, in 2019, there were 25 shootings on school campuses nationwide with eight people killed and 43 injured. Since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 in which 20 children and six adults were killed, there have been at least 2,838 mass shootings in the US with 2,697 people killed and 9,932 injured.

So far in 2020, 51 people have been killed and 162 wounded in 41 mass shootings, according to a study by Vox.com, based on the Gun Violence Archive.

“I’ve kept my daughter home from school today because of a BHS school shooting thread that circulated online yesterday about today,” said Pat Toth-Smith in an e-mail. “There is a big police presence at the school today and they’re exploring the person in custody’s friend list.”

No further updates were available as of press time on Fri. If you have any information regarding the case, please call BPD at (707) 745-3411.

“We know these situations are scary and difficult,” the BUSD statement said. “With that in mind, we will have counseling services available for students and staff as needed. We are grateful for our continued strong partnership with the Benicia Police Department and our caring community.”

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