Queens High School Increases Security After Student Arrested with Loaded Gun and Online Threat

Security Heightened at Queens High School

• 🚨 Benjamin Cardoza High School in Bayside, Queens, implemented increased security measures, including metal detectors, after a student was arrested.
• 🚶‍♂️ Historically a "no scan school," all students were required to walk through metal detectors today following the incident.

Online Threat Leads to Arrest

• 📱 An Instagram post made during school hours yesterday, featuring an image of schoolwork with the words "about to shoot the school up" typed over it, prompted the investigation.
• 🕵️ The FBI identified the phone number behind the account and geotagged it to the school, alerting the NYPD.
• 👮‍♂️ Police apprehended a 16-year-old sophomore, who had no prior criminal history, after he was removed from a classroom.

Discovery of Weapon and Phones

• 🎒 Officers found a loaded gun with 13 rounds in the student's backpack.
• 📱 Three cell phones were also discovered; only one had been surrendered as per the school's cell phone ban policy.

Student and Parent Reactions

• 😨 Students expressed shock and fear, with some noting that the school seemed more concerned about phone policies than gun violence.
• 😟 A parent described the situation as terrifying, emphasizing the potential danger to their child.
• ❓ Students were unaware of the threat until receiving phones back at the end of the day, leading to confusion and anxiety.

Ongoing Security Measures

• 🛡️ The school will continue scanning students and has beefed up police presence, including uniform officers and school safety agents, for the foreseeable future.
• ⚖️ The 16-year-old faces charges for criminal possession of a weapon and making terrorist threats.