16-year-old with loaded gun threatened to shoot up his New York City high school, police say

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City high school student was arrested Thursday after bringing a loaded gun to class and writing on social media that he wanted to “shoot the school up,” authorities said.

The 16-year-old sophomore posted the threat to Instagram around 10:15 a.m. while in class at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

A person who saw the post alerted the FBI, which then contacted the NYPD, Tisch said.

Officers went to the school, located the student and found a 9mm handgun in his backpack that was loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition, Tisch said.

Unlike some other New York City public schools, Cardozo High School does not screen students for weapons, she said.

“We are so grateful that this incident did not end tragically,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference announcing the arrest.

Police did not publicly identify the 16-year-old by name because he is a minor, Tisch said, adding that he had no prior criminal history.

A message seeking information about the charges he faces was left for the Queens district attorney’s office.

Police officers worked with school staff to locate the 16-year-old, removed him from his classroom without incident and took him to an empty conference room where they searched his backpack and found the gun, Tisch said. The boy also had three cell phones on him, she said, one in a school-issued locking pouch and two others.

Officers confirmed that the Instagram post came from the 16-year-old’s account by calling a phone number associated with it, Tisch said.

When officers called the number, the commissioner said, one of the boy’s cell phones rang.

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