Thanks to a strong school community, police in Washington believed they may have thwarted a school shooting, but they soon realized it was apparently all just a prank. Three armed juveniles allegedly broke into Enumclaw High School on May 31. Although they did not vandalize or steal anything, the individuals left when police arrived just after 10 p.m. The Enumclaw School District released photos of the suspects through the Enumclaw Police Department and asked anyone with information to come forward. Within days, police identified all three suspects.
Enumclaw Police Chief Tim Floyd told KIRO that the surveillance video from inside the school concerned him immediately.
“In my 28 years, I’ve seen a lot of break-ins at schools, right? And every single one of them involves theft or damage. That didn’t happen here at all,” he said. “And now looking at the video from start to finish with all the different angles, it became very clear, at least in my mind and some of our other commanding staff what we were witnessing.”
The FBI quickly got involved in the case, and Floyd said one of the individuals allegedly used a phone to record the walk-through.
“One was filming the entire event. And then one was moving around with a handgun in his hands. And they would stop and talk about … they would stop and talk to each other for a moment. It gave us an indication that this was a practice run,” Floyd said, per KIRO.
On June 3, the Enumclaw School District released more information about the incident. District officials believe the suspects wanted to prank the school.
“As a result of our investigation, we have determined that this incident was not for the purpose of an active shooter situation but was intended to be part of a prank on the Enumclaw High School. The weapon seen in the photos was an airsoft gun and has been taken as evidence. Two of the three subjects were brought into custody. The third subject was visiting from another state and has returned home,” the statement reads. “As this incident was an intended prank, there is no continued threat at the Enumclaw High School, but we will maintain an increased police presence throughout the day today and tomorrow to alleviate additional concerns. The two suspects who will be charged with a crime are Enumclaw High School students. As this case involves juvenile subjects, we cannot disclose their names, but they have been cooperating with us throughout the investigation.”
After speaking with the teens, investigators learned more about their plan.
“He and the other students were planning on doing a senior prank,” Floyd said, per KING 5, “and fill the auditorium, lunchroom area with balloons overnight, some night.”
Tara Ward lives near Enumclaw High School and didn’t find any humor in what she heard.
“This is not a prank,” Tara Ward told KING 5. “This is the complete opposite of a prank. When you have a gun, that’s threatening. When you’re breaking in somewhere, that’s threatening. That’s not funny.”
Jessica McCartney, the director of communications with the school district, shared a statement with KING 5.
“Student and staff safety is our priority, and we are relieved that the police investigation determined there was no plan to harm others and that the weapon involved was an airsoft replica. We take these incidents very seriously,” McCartney noted in the release. “Even as a ‘prank,’ the behavior created real fear and disruption for students, families, and staff.”
