TRANQUILLITY, Calif. (KMJ) — A student has been arrested after deputies say he had made threats to shoot up a school in Tranquillity on Wednesday.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says a 15-year-old student at Tranquillity High School was making threats online that were noticed by community members who reported it.
Deputies say this student had been recently involved in a school fight and may have been angry at the situation.
The sheriff’s office went to the student’s home and found a TEC-9 pistol and a magazine in their backpack.
Tony Botti, a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office says as they found the gun to support the threats, they are unsure if that student was going to carry out the actual shooting.
Botti says they receive many similar reports that turn out to be fake but they will always further investigate until they can debunk the claims.
The student will have to learn the hard way, he says the unfortunate consequences.
It is unknown how the student got a hold of the gun.
Golden Plains Unified School District released the following statement:
School safety is a top priority for the district. We appreciate the work of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and are fully cooperating with their investigation. We applaud the community members who chose to speak up and report the concerning social media messages and encourage others to do the same moving forward. Many lives at Tranquillity High School were potentially saved this week.
The 15-year-old has been arrested and booked into the Fresno County Juvenile Hall facing charges of criminal threats and illegal possession of a firearm.
