Police report: Garfield HS staffer laughs off violent threat, but student arrested

One day after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, a student at Seattle’s Garfield High School was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot his classmates. The details are harrowing, but the disregard from the school is shocking.

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According to a Feb. 16 police report, the suspect told a classmate he would pull a fire alarm and wait for students to congregate at a field behind the school. He said he would then begin shooting them. The classmates feared for their safety, despite the suspect claiming he was just joking. Earlier, the suspect was seen watching and enjoying videos of a violent nature.

When a witness approached a Garfield High School staff member — whose name was redacted in the police report — the staffer “nervously laughed, [and] disregarded the information that was given to her.” The staff member never documented the threat, or reported it to any other Garfield staff members, the report states.

Later, classmates would see concerning images posted to the suspect’s Snapchat, including a photo of a revolver with the image of a student’s face coming from the barrel. The classmate took a screenshot and reported it to school staff. Finally, police were called.

Seattle police officers, in their initial investigation, found the suspect had been seeing a counselor for several years because he had been having problems at home and at school. There was also a previous domestic violence incident at his household.

Upon arrest, the student said he was never serious and was just joking. Indeed, the report indicates he has a tendency for dark humor.

There are many questions still needing to be answered. Most importantly: Why didn’t the Garfield staff member  respond to the very first student report?

According to KIRO7, a letter was sent home to parents on Tuesday – a full four days after the student’s arrest.

Seattle Public Schools has released this statement about the incident:

Student and staff safety is always a priority. We are concerned by and looking into the report that students notified a teacher and that tip wasn’t escalated as it should have been. Thankfully, students courageously brought this up again with school leadership.  The principal immediately contacted SPD and the district Safety & Security team per safety protocols. Once SPD arrested the student, they were able to notify families. We are so proud of the students for making sure school leaders received this tip directly. Schools are closed this week for mid-winter break. Next week, with school in session, school leaders will review with staff the process and importance of reporting any threats.

Read the Seattle police report here.

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