On the morning of 18/9, the student posted a message on Instagram stating his intent to carry out a school shooting. He made the post while in class at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens. Someone who saw the post alerted the FBI, who then relayed the information to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
NYPD officers arrived at the school, located the teenager, searched his backpack, and found a 9 mm handgun loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition. Unlike other public schools in New York City, Cardozo High School does not have metal detectors or mandatory weapon checks for students.
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Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens. Photo: FOX News |
Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens. Photo: FOX News
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, speaking at a press conference, said, "We are extremely fortunate that this incident did not end in tragedy".
The 16-year-old student’s name has not been released because he is a minor. The suspect has no prior criminal record.
NYPD Chief of Department Jessica Tisch said the teenager’s Instagram post included a picture of books and papers on a desk with an angry and frustrated caption that included the phrase, "I swear I’m gonna shoot up the school". Location analysis confirmed the post originated from Cardozo High School.
Police removed the suspect from class without incident. In addition to the gun, officers found three cell phones. They called the phone number linked to the teenager’s Instagram account, and one of the three phones rang.
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The handgun seized from the 16-year-old suspect. Photo: CBS News |
The handgun seized from the 16-year-old suspect. Photo: CBS News
Adams praised the NYPD’s successful intervention but expressed concern about the ease with which children can access firearms in the city. "It is a failing of our entire society that a 16-year-old had the ability to come to school with a loaded 9 mm handgun and the desire to use it to shoot his classmates and teachers," he said. "This young man could have been dead today, or facing decades in jail if he had carried out this threat".
Tisch added, "As a mother of two school-aged sons, I am horrified. But as Chief of Department of the NYPD, I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to keep New York’s children safe".
