A 16-year-old boy in New York is facing gun possession and making terroristic threat charges after he allegedly brought a loaded gun to school. He is accused of posting a photo captioned with threats to “shoot the school up” after expressing disdain for tests.
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According to a press release issued by Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz, the incident occurred on September 18. As per the charging documents, the FBI was made aware of an Instagram post by Meta.
The post, allegedly made by the teen at 10:17 a.m., had the caption, “TS GMT BOUTTA SHOOT THE SCHOOL UP.” Promptly, the FBI managed to pinpoint the IP address associated with the Instagram account. They got a location: Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, New York.
Subsequently, the phone number was linked to the teen, and the NYPD responded to the school, the release said.
Teen Located, Arrested
The defendant, as per Katz, was inside a conference room, carrying a backpack and a cellphone. One of the officers called the phone number associated with the Instagram account, and the 16-year-old’s cell phone rang.
Then, officers searched through the teen’s backpack. They allegedly found a Taurus GX4 9 mm pistol, as well as a magazine and a magazine extender.
The teenager was arraigned on Friday, September 19. He was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, making a terroristic threat, and multiple firearm-related crimes.
As reported by the New York Post, a judge granted the teen a $100,000 bail and a $250,000 partially secured bail.
According to Assistant District Attorney Mirza Hadzic, the alleged Instagram threat stemmed from a disdain for tests, which had gotten him “tight.”
Following the incident, Benjamin Cardozo High School installed scanners, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“Historically, this has not been a scanning school, but there was scanning this morning, and there will continue to be for the foreseeable future,” Tisch said during a press conference.
DA Katz thanked the NYPD and the FBI for preventing what could have easily become a tragedy.
“Gun violence has stolen too many young lives in our communities,” Katz said. “We are extremely grateful that this incident did not result in anyone being hurt or worse.”