Firearms Located and 13-Year-Old Juvenile in Custody After Allegedly Making Threats that Initiated Fortuna Union High School Lockdown
This is a press release from the Fortuna Police Department’s Facebook page. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
On Thursday, September 29, 2022 at approximately noon, Fortuna Police received a report of a potential threat to students and school personnel at Fortuna Union High School. It was reported that several high school students in E building during class received an air dropped image on their phones from an unknown person, only identified as a skull emoji. The image was a typed message that read, “Gonna light up the school at 12:10.” This message was quickly spread throughout the school via Snapchat.
Fortuna Union High School immediately initiated a school lockdown. Law enforcement and school staff began to investigate and conduct searches. As a result law enforcement and school staff was able to determine no weapons, dangerous devices or current threat existed on school campus.
Once it was determined safe for students to exit campus, law enforcement and school staff conducted a controlled release of students, building by building, classroom by classroom and the lockdown was released.
School Officials elected to release the students for the remainder of the day to allow students reunite with parents following the lockdown.
Fortuna Officers continued the investigation, identifying further threatening messages sent out via Snapchat. Officers quickly identified the 13 year old juvenile responsible for sending the ongoing Snapchat threats. Officers responded to the juveniles’ residence in Rio Dell. The juvenile was detained and a search warrant executed at his residence. Evidence was seized, including a cellular phone, clothing identified in Snapchats and multiple firearms. The juvenile was taken into custody and booked into Humboldt County Juvenile Hall on the charge of 422(a) of the California Penal Code, Criminal Threats.
Anyone with information pertaining to these threats and messages is asked to contact the Fortuna Police Department at (707) 725-7550, attn. School Resource Officer Burley.
We would like to recognize and thank our allied agency partners for their response and assistance. Ferndale Police Department, Rio Dell Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Humboldt County Drug Task Force, Cal Fire Law Enforcement were all on scene assisting Fortuna Police Department and School Staff. Eureka Police Department and other allied agencies offered assistance and were on standby if needed.
Fortuna Police Department, Fortuna High School and local law enforcement remain committed to the safety of our youth and schools.
On Thursday, September 29, 2022 at approximately noon, Fortuna Police received a report of a potential threat to students and school personnel at Fortuna Union High School. It was reported that several high school students in E building during class received an air dropped image on their phones from an unknown person, only identified as a skull emoji. The image was a typed message that read, “Gonna light up the school at 12:10.” This message was quickly spread throughout the school via Snapchat.
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Wise man waits until all the facts are in, before speaking…
Charlie Chan~
As an after thought. What is the need of the students to have their cell phones while in school?
So they can receive threats?
As far as I know, no school shooter phoned in first with a warning..
Yo, I think the problem is the little psycho with access to “ multiple firearms” not the students with cellphones minding their own business…
You’d be doing yourself and your family a big favor by staying away…
Drop cell phones off before school and retrieve them after school. Grades will improve.
You really think grades would improve ? A cell phone with merely a wifi connection can access almost any library on the planet the amount of information research and other wise at peoples finger tips is crazy and how quickly we have all become dependent upon having all this information with us at all times just a mere couple of finger taps away . Imagine if you will how your own classes would have improved had you not needed to spend days researching for school projects or if you could merely type in a search bar and have almost any question answered instantly
Cell phones are great when used properly…But you seem to have completely missed the point.
cell phones are just the latest scapegoat for poor parenting.
The kid probably learned how to make creepy threats because he had poor role models who did exactly the same thing when they were upset
You are making the unwarranted asumption that someone already has enough education to know how and where to frame a query.
The point of students to have their phones in school is so they can text their parents if they need to, they have a device that can be used for work if needed, and they don’t want to have to go around taking everyone’s phones because they’d be taking them to school anyways if you can’t have a phone at school
By law (due to Columbine) schools cannot require students to leave cell phones at home. Schools can require that they are out of sight and not being used during lessons, but that is up to each teacher’s discretion and classroom management abilities.
The one in Michigan recently who had the dirtbag parents did the same thing
Great trick to get all the parents’ GUNS!
Yeah. I kinda remember that, around that age making prank calls and things like that. I also remember when it was funny joking about highjacking in airports too. But these days, that these things are (near) verboten.
Not knowing the CHILD who allegedly made the threats, it’s easier to wonder if their parents had done their job to educate them about functioning and staying safe in social today. We may not like it, or want to limit our free speech, yet it is what it is. (And. We just must be aware of creeping limitations on free speech, though ‘terroristic threatening’, which bomb scares would likely fall under, seems reasonable if the speech fits the definition).
HCDTF lol. Literally every clown on this “task force” is a millionaire.
Thank you, teachers, responders, brave students, and parents for the peaceful solution to a potentially horrific outcome.
The problem is the media. All the media. Video games. Unattended time on cell phones to peruse inappropriate places. Seeing things that they never should . You talk about protecting your kids we do all these things for kids but we don’t protect them from the greatest danger of all . Young brains not knowing how to process all that information it triggers them. Kids need to do things physically not on the tablet entire School setting now on tablets disgusting. The kids compare themselves to everything they see on the media. So happy that the kids stood up and did something right and that this was stomped down quickly. Honestly, that’s pretty rare usually, they just sit and don’t say anything about it because it’s so normalized anymore. Bring back the books, bring back physical activity, give kids back their childhoods. Reality is lived in the world not on a tablet or cell phone.
Good response. Thanks!
How about Mr Skull spending some serious jail time with his soon to be cellmate “bubba”. Be sure to pack lots of soap for your extended slammer visit. How did his parents allow a 13 year old to possess assault weapons? And why aren’t they being held responsible for the actions of their “good boy”? Order the parents to pay for the disruption, response, and court costs.
i know the kid i live in rio dell, he got 3-4 years for this serves him right
He has not been adjudicated, no sentence has been handed down
You are correct about the parents responsibility for a 13 year old. The kid wasn’t born with his present actions. Very likely there was trouble at home. Second, the parents are likely uneducated, possibly unemployed, maybe user’s and very likely poor role models for teenagers. Although no one wants to fund a program that requires the 13 year old and the parents to attend therapy classes to teach expected behaviors of both parents and sibling. They are like dogs that owners cut loose and the dogs pack up and the uneducated become “wild” and raise themselves. That’s a lose/lose environment and the grounds for a next generation of criminals.
Family therapy is great IF people want to participate. And I believe a court could offer that on a menu of penalty options. Parenting classes too may help. Been in them and they are very rewarding.
Mr Skull has not been found, he or she airdropped their message anonymously, it’s untraceable. The parents of the person arrested did not allow said 13 to possess “assault weapons”, weapons were locked up and were legally owned and registered to adults, they were confiscated pending investigation to alleged threats, it’s a law.
Bumbling “where’s Jackie?” Biden demonstrates his senile nature whenever he gets off teleprompter script. Very sad we get saddled with these dinosaur politicians from both parties, still fighting the Cold War while our Strategic threat is from the East.
Poopy Pants Biden is a disaster our enemies are taking advantage of…I actually feel sorry for him…
I don’t feel sorry for that apathic insane liar of epic portions Donald Trump. He poops out his mouth. His life, like his uneducated criminal time as President, was a huge failure. And with a track record of one failure after another nothing will ever change in his life.
Dragging national political bs into a discussion of juvenile misbehavior is just a public demonstration of idiotic behavior.
I agree. Comments about National politics usually starts with Poopy Country Joe. He always has to play the same worn out comments. But Poopy Country Joe NEVER gets the message to QUIT, Desist, Basta!!
Doesn’t say whose firearms
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this I’ve been around firearms all my life. When I was 5, I used a .410 shotgun to shoot a water moccasin. Guns are tools and are only as good or bad as the person holding it. Owning them is a great responsibility If you own weapons learn to use them proficiently, safely and legally. This is like Jedi training – best begun at an early age
That said, how did we get this point where a child has access to firearms without adult supervision? Someone has to be held responsible.
Keep him locked up!!!
This child was NOT the perpetrator of the threat, the poorly worded press release states “responsible for ongoing threats via snapchat”, not the initial threat, that person remains anonymous and cannot be traced