Police warned 18-year-old possibly had gun inside Syracuse high school; public not told by school, police

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse school officials and police downplayed that anyone had a gun at Henninger High School Wednesday, but the next day the department warned its own officers about a teen who it believed may have had a gun inside the school.

An officer safety bulletin was sent out to police Thursday that said a gun may have been in the school on Wednesday, Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matt confirmed Friday.

An 18-year-old male was observed inside the school and police “believe there is a chance that he was in possession of a firearm based on intel we received and his actions when the police encountered him,” Malinowski said. The person was not a student, he said.

Officers chased the person but did not catch him, Malinowski said, adding officers did get him away from the school and students.

The bulletin specifically named the 18-year-old who ran, according to sources who read the bulletin. Syracuse.com is not reporting the boy’s name because he has not been arrested or formally charged with a crime.

The department sends out such alerts so that any officers who encounter the individual will be are aware the person may have a gun.

School officials on Wednesday and Thursday repeatedly stated no gun was found at the school or on the school grounds. Police and school officials did not make public that police believe a teen may have had a gun inside the school.

The district shut down the school to students Thursday after brawls Wednesday morning and a weapons search outside the school Wednesday afternoon.

Michael Henesey, a district spokesperson, said a 17-year-old who was not a student was charged with disorderly conduct and a student was detained, but not charged. There were no serious injuries; one student was bruised in one of the fights, Henesey said.

Later Wednesday, the school went into a lockdown. Students were told to stay in their classrooms and the doors to the building were locked.

Henesey said there was a report of a person with a weapon outside the school, but nothing was found.

He said Superintendent Jaime Alicea decided to close school to students Thursday because of security concerns. The high school was renovated over the summer and Wednesday’s troubles uncovered problems that needed to be fixed, he said.

Principal Shirelle Dowdell wrote a letter to parents on Wednesday that stressed to parents that the fights were broken up quickly, and that no weapons were found.

“Today a parent informed me that there was a post on social media that a gun was brought into the school. This information is false. There was no weapon found within the building or on school grounds,” Dowdell wrote.

On Friday, the school was evacuated and people sent home early following a fire in a school bathroom.

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