Online Threats, Guns Leave North Texas Schools On High Alert

Only one day after the deadly Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead, several students at various North Texas schools were arrested. Three students were arrested for bringing guns to school, and two were arrested for making threats against the campuses. Two other reports of threats left schools and police vigilant.

The first incident, at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, occurred just after 11:00 a.m., police said in a statement. Students at the school contacted on-campus police and school officials about another student who was allegedly carrying a gun.

Officers took the 16-year-old student out of the classroom and searched his or her backpack, where they found a small caliber handgun that was not loaded, police said. The student was also carrying ammunition.

The student was removed from the school by police and placed in custody. Although his or her identity was not released, police said the student faces a felony charge of possessing a firearm in a prohibited place.

In a letter to parents, Marcus High School principal Gary Shafferman wrote school officials do not believe the student intended to harm anyone on campus.

"...Federal law prohibits us from sharing confidential student information, so we cannot speak directly ot the consequences the student may face," he wrote. "I want to assure you, if appropriate, the student will face disciplinry action according to our student code of conduct."

That incident, unfortunately, was only the beginning. An unidentified student at Plano West Senior High School was also taken into police custody after a school resource officer found he or she had a handgun, the Dallas Morning News reports.

The gun was not loaded and the student was not carrying ammunition, KXAS reported. The officer was alerted about the gun after receiving an anonymous tip from Campus Crime Stoppers.

A third student was taken into custody after noon in South Garland after one of his fellow students reported he had stolen a cell phone. Kerry Guery, 19, was caught with the phone, an unloaded handgun and marijuana in his backpack, Garland police said in a statement.

Police said Guery was arrested for Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon — Prohibited Places, Possession of Marijuana in a Drug Free Zone, and two theft warrants out of Dallas County. He remains in Garland Jail.

Guery is also accused of tampering with an identification number. Part of the gun's serial number had been scraped off, the News wrote.

A 13-year-old student at Nichols Junior High School in Arlington was also arrested. Police say the student, who was not identified by name, told other students he had a gun with him. KDFW reported the student made a specific threat about using an AK-47 assault rifle to go after people.

The student was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, KDFW wrote. He did not bring a gun to campus.

KDFW reports a student from Weatherford High School was arrested for making threats against the school on social media. Several students reported the threat to school officials, the station wrote. No weapons were found.

One student at Community ISD is Nevada, Texas, was detained after making a threat of violence against the school, officials wrote on the High School's facebook page. An investigation is ongoing, and appropriate legal and disciplinary action is to come, the school wrote.

The seventh incident took place at Kaufman ISD, where an increased police presence was seen due to threats made on social media. It's not clear if any arrests were made at Kaufman ISD. A public information officer for Kaufman Police Department said officers are working Friday to provide extra security at schools in the district.

In a letter to parents, officials from Plano ISD implored parents to monitor students' free time and friend groups. They also asked parents make sure students do not have access to weapons.
Garland ISD officials echoed the sentiments of other schools and went on to congratulate the student who reported the threat to police.

"We share information such as this with families and use this as an opportunity to stress the importance of our students sharing information about anything they see or hear that has the potential to threaten the safety of our campuses, as was done in this case," the letter read.

In all, at least 13 schools across Texas were made aware of threats to campus. Some students at Humble ISD, meanwhile, skipped school in response to an alleged hit list.

Plano Police Department will hold an active shooter preparedness seminar on March 6 at the Plano Event Center. The two hour class will teach members of the public how to use “Avoid, Deny, Defend” and “Run, Hide, Fight” strategies. Participants will also receive instruction on how to control life threatening bleeding.

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Lead image: File photo via Getty Images: FALLS CHURCH, VA - DECEMBER 04: A sign reads Gun Free Zone at the entrance to the Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, December 4, 2015 in Falls Church, Virginia. Students were arrested at three North Texas high schools Thursday after being caught with guns in gun free zones. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)