In the days immediately following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, local law enforcement investigated threats and reports of gunmen at several other schools across Texas.
On May 25, just one day after a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, authorities responded to reports of an armed man walking toward Berkner High School in Richardson.
Police arrested the suspect and recovered a pistol and a replica AR-15-style Orbeez rifle from his vehicle. They charged him with the unlawful carrying of weapons in a weapon-free school zone. The Richardson Police Department did not release the suspect’s name because he is a minor.
That same day, police arrested 19-year-old Joel Plascencia and charged him with making a terroristic threat against his high school in Seguin.
Plascencia allegedly made repeated comments about bringing an AK-47 to school. School administrators instructed him to cease making such comments, but he persisted, so administrators reported him to the police.
Also, on May 25, police arrested two minors and two 17-year-olds in Donna after an anonymous tip accused the four students of planning to carry out an armed attack on a school.
Authorities have not disclosed the name of the targeted school or the identities of the two minors. However, on Thursday, May 26, police charged 17-year-olds Nathaniel Seth Montelongo and Barbarito Pantoja with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Also, on May 26, police arrested four people in connection with social media posts that appeared to threaten schools in Manor. Two posts had images of individuals holding rifles, and one had a caption reading, “Manor Got Some Coming.”
No one sustained any injury in any of the instances described above.
Even with the school year wrapping up for most Americans, the massacre in Uvalde has prompted a renewed focus on school security.
