Portland Teen Faces Terrorism, Attempted Murder in Chemical Scare

A chemical incident at an Oregon high school cafeteria has become a domestic terrorism and attempted murder case involving the same teenager school employees worked to save after he was critically injured.

The 15-year-old Benson Polytechnic High School student faces 19 criminal counts after authorities said he brought chemicals from home and mixed them inside the Portland school on Sept. 8, releasing toxic gases that put students and staff at risk.

“Safety in our schools is not something that can be negotiated,” Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said at an Oct. 2 news conference.

“That violence or the threat of violence in a school … it doesn’t just stay in that building. It follows families home. It sits at the dinner table with them.”

Investigators found what Portland Police Bureau Public Information Manager Mike Benner described as “concerning behaviors and statements” before the incident, including an interest in hazardous chemicals, explosives and violence.

The teenager’s name has not been released because of his age. He faces 10 counts of attempted aggravated murder, along with one count each of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree domestic terrorism and second-degree domestic terrorism.

The remaining charges include unlawfully manufacturing and possessing a destructive device, possessing a weapon in a public building, unlawfully using a weapon and recklessly endangering another person.

His attorneys denied the allegations and said he is receiving treatment at an inpatient mental health facility, according to The New York Times.

Vasquez said his office plans to seek a transfer of the case from juvenile court to adult court, citing the need to protect students and school employees.

“And I want to be clear, they’re teenagers, but these are children, and they deserve a safe environment,” he said.

The prosecutor also criticized what he described as a broader weakness in Oregon’s juvenile justice system, which ends its oversight when a person turns 25—even if authorities believe that individual may continue to pose a danger to the public.

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“I think that that is wrong,” Vasquez said, arguing that the cutoff does not account for the potential danger posed by someone convicted of multiple killings or domestic terrorism.

“I’m looking at conduct and how dangerous that is and what I consider to be safe for the community going forward,” he said.

The chemical incident occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m., when numerous students and staff members were in the area, Assistant Chief of Investigations Franz Schoening said.

Teachers and administrators guided students away from the scene while the school nurse treated the teenager until first responders arrived. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and survived.

“Those first few moments were critical in preventing further harm and lives being lost,” Schoening said.

More than 100 students and staff members were evaluated after the evacuation, and at least seven people needed medical treatment, he said.

Sgt. Jim DeFrain, who supervises the investigation and the Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit, said initial testing indicated the presence of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas.

An Oregon National Guard team agreed with that assessment. Samples were sent to an FBI laboratory for further testing, with results still pending at the time of the briefing, DeFrain said.

The FBI was also examining electronic equipment seized during searches.

Vasquez said the investigation remained open and that anyone else found to have criminal involvement could face charges.

“If we determine or find any links, if there are people that can be charged, this office will charge them,” he said.