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Kodiak High School students resume regular schedule after Kodiak Police respond to threat

This is the latest report in an increasing trend of threats to schools across the country, February 15, 2024. (Brian Venua/KMXT)
BRIAN VENUA
This is the latest report in an increasing trend of threats to schools across the country, February 15, 2024. (Brian Venua/KMXT)

The Kodiak Police Department says reports of a firearm at Kodiak High School Feb. 15 were found to be not credible. KMXT’s Brian Venua reports officers responded to an alleged threat at the school Thursday morning.

KPD Public Information Officer Francis de la Fuente said in a phone call a young man allegedly sent a photo of a firearm to a peer over the social media platform Snapchat, which deletes photos after a fixed amount of time unless otherwise recorded like a screenshot.

Students reported the suspected threat to staff at 8:47 a.m., and contacted the police immediately. Students were not put on lockdown, but were placed on “hold.” That means they were kept in classrooms, but hallways were clear for administration and law enforcement to search the building.

Police found the student in the library unarmed and had a conversation with him, saying he was “very cooperative.” The threat was deemed not credible, and district staff and police were in contact with his parents.

De la Fuente said police and school district actions were made in an abundance of caution considering the pattern of school shootings across the country.

Police have returned to the station and their regular patrols. The rest of the high school students were back to their regular schedules by noon.

Born and raised in Dillingham, Brian Venua graduated from Gonzaga University before ultimately returning to Alaska. He moved to Kodiak and joined KMXT in 2022. Venua has since won awards for the newsroom as both a writer and photojournalist, with work focused on strengthening community, breaking down complex topics, and sharing stories of and for the people of the Kodiak Archipelago.