Walnut Creek police raid middle schooler’s home over reports he kept a ‘kill list’ and sought AK-47

Walnut Creek police raid middle schooler’s home over reports he kept a ‘kill list’ and sought AK-47

WALNUT CREEK — A middle schooler here was suspended, placed on a mental health hold, and investigated by the police after officials learned he’d made a “kill list” with the names of fellow students and used a school computer to research how to obtain guns and grenades.

The student, whose name has not been released because he’s a juvenile, was also the subject of a May police raid at his Walnut Creek home. Authorities say they didn’t find anything of value during the May 10 search, but were looking for further evidence he intended to carry out acts of violence at the school.

Police say Foothill Middle School became aware of issues with the boy last year when he allegedly threatened to stab another student with a drum stick, but that there had been a series of more recent incidents that ramped up their concern. In April, he allegedly threatened the same student, and searched online for how to acquire an AK-47 and grenades, as well as how to make a person “disappear.”

In late April, school officials learned of a possible “kill list” with at least four students’ names, and notified a crisis response team and police, authorities said. The boy also reportedly threatened a girl at the school, telling her he would “slit her throat,” authorities said.

The boy was placed in a mental health hold and suspended from school roughly two weeks before the police raid, authorities said.