The head of school at Parker School in Waimea said three juvenile boys who were arrested and charged Friday with terroristic threatening for an online video threat to the school were students, but not at Parker.
Stephen Dunn declined to disclose the school or schools where the juveniles are students.
According to police, the three were seen at 4 p.m. Thursday loitering on the school’s campus. On Friday, the online video was posted, showing the suspects on campus while making the threat, police said.
“They recorded a video of themselves walking through campus. And at three points during that video, one of the students said, ‘We’re going to shoot this place up,” Dunn said Monday. “The students were on campus, and then left. We had no idea that they were saying those things. It was whispered into … the video we saw.”
Police at 1:39 on Friday received a walk-in complaint from a Parker School official who was concerned about the protection and safety of the students and staff.
“We didn’t hear them saying those things on Thursday. It was only after the video was posted online did we hear what they said,” Dunn said. “There was no cause when we were in the moment to do anything other than to ask them to leave.”
Dunn said students in a theater rehearsal Thursday reported the presence of the three suspects to a teacher.
“The teacher, she sort of shooed them away and said, ‘If you are not Parker students, you need to leave.’ And that was the end of it,” he said.
The three juvenile suspects were identified. Following their identification and arrest, they were charged and released to the custody of their parents.
Dunn said he met with the families of the suspects.
“The report from one (was) that they were looking for their friends that were at Parker,” he said.
The suspects’ cases will be heard in Family Court.
“Police take threats of violence extremely seriously, especially those directed towards students and schools,” the Hawaii Police Department said in a press release. “We would like to thank parents and other community members for their vigilance and for coming forward to provide information to the police.”
Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact Detective Sheldon Nakamoto of the Area II Juvenile Aid Section at (808) 326-4646 ext. 304 or Sheldon.Nakamoto@hawaiicounty.gov. or the Police Department’s nonemergency line at (808) 935-3311.
Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 930-7328.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.