Central High School West student accused of shooting threats

A male student at Central High West campus is accused of making threats to commit a shooting at the school, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies have not released the suspect’s name and age because he’s under age 18.

The department issued a news release saying another student had told school staff members Thursday afternoon about the suspect’s alleged plans to shoot up the school.

The student accused of the alleged threats was brought into the school office and staff notified the sheriff’s office, the release said. Deputies spoke with the student and determined his threats were credible.

Deputies said the suspect didn’t have weapons at the school. Investigators contacted the student’s family and learned the family does own guns. Deputies are still working to see if the student had access to any of those guns, the release said.

The release said the student was undergoing a mental health evaluation as of Thursday evening. However, once that’s completed, it was expected that he’d be booked into the detention facility at the Fresno County Juvenile Justice Center. He’s expected to be charged with threatening to commit a crime that results in injury or death.

A statement from the district was included in Thursday’s news release.

“Central Unified is grateful for the swift response and investigation conducted by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Student and staff safety are of utmost importance in our district and we take all threats seriously. We urge parents to talk with their children about the seriousness of making any threatening remarks and to report all suspicious behavior observed in person or on social media,” the statement said.

Thursday’s incident was the latest of a handful of threats made to area schools in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting, where 17 people were killed and many were injured.

Deputies are asking anyone with additional information in the case or awareness of another instance of violent threats to call the sheriff’s office at 559-600-3111. Tips are kept confidential and you can remain anonymous.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Central High School West student accused of shooting threats."