A chemical scare at an Oregon high school that left a student critically ill has become a domestic terrorism and attempted murder case involving the same teenager school staff worked to save.
The 15-year-old student at Benson Polytechnic High School faces 19 criminal counts after authorities said he brought chemicals from home and combined them inside the Portland school on Sept. 8, releasing toxic gases that put students and employees 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.”
Before the incident, investigators found what Portland Police Bureau Public Information Manager Mike Benner described as “concerning behaviors and statements,” including an interest in hazardous chemicals, explosives and violence.
Because he is a minor, the teenager’s name has not been released. He is charged with 10 counts of attempted aggravated murder, as well as 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.
The teenager’s attorneys denied the allegations and said he is receiving care at an inpatient mental health facility, The New York Times reported.
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 staff.
“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 officials believe that person may still threaten public safety.
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“I think that that is wrong,” Vasquez said, questioning whether the age limit adequately addresses 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 release occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m., when numerous students and staff members were near the teenager, Assistant Chief of Investigations Franz Schoening said.
Teachers and administrators moved students away 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 received medical treatment, he said.
Sgt. Jim DeFrain, who oversees the investigation and the Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit, said preliminary testing detected hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas.
An Oregon National Guard team reached the same conclusion. Investigators sent samples to an FBI laboratory for additional testing, but the results were still pending when officials held the briefing, DeFrain said.
The FBI was also reviewing electronic devices 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.
