Police officers in Berkeley, California, arrested a 16-year-old boy on May 30, after learning of his alleged plans to conduct a mass shooting and/or bombing at Berkeley High School.
The case: The teen allegedly had been attempting to recruit other high school students to participate in a school shooting, according to CNN.
- After police were made aware of the plan, they obtained a search warrant and found several weapons and explosive parts in his home, the Berkeley Police Department reported.
- CBS Bay Area stated that the boy turned himself into police and was arrested on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime which could lead to death or serious injury.
Who is this student? Police have not yet revealed the identity of the student and whether or not he was a student at Berkeley High School, according to Fox News. The identities of the students being recruited were also not revealed by police.
- Authorities are preparing to perform a mental health evaluation on the teen, CNN reported.
National implications: News of the alleged plot comes within a week of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas that left 21 dead. In Buffalo, New York, 10 people were killed last month during a shooting at a supermarket that was said to be racially motivated. On Wednesday, four people were killed in a shooting at a medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to CNN.
- “We recognize the impact this news may have on the community,” said the Berkeley Police Department in a statement. “School safety remains a high priority for the Department. As part of that commitment, the Department has a School Resource Officer assigned to Berkeley High School who regularly liaises with school and safety personnel. In addition to the School Resource Officer, all officers have access to a range of training and equipment that provide them protection, skills and ability to rapidly respond to in-progress violence.”