Student cited for bringing weapon to Palo Alto school

PALO ALTO – Police last week cited a 15-year-old girl for bringing a weapon to Palo Alto High School.

On Friday, school administrators reported that a student had posted pictures of her holding a handgun on Instagram and possibly brought the weapon onto the campus in the past, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

An investigation confirmed that the teen had uploaded two images, one of them in December 2022, police said in a statement Monday, adding that both pictures were later deleted.

Based on interviews with the student and others, investigators concluded that the weapon may have been an Airsoft gun that belonged to a relative and that the images may have been digitally altered to remove the orange tip or that the tip was removed, police said.

Police said they also received information that the teen had brought the weapon onto the campus about two months ago and let a classmate hold it while in a restroom.

Officers cited the student for possession of a weapon at a school and released her to the custody of a family member. They also searched her home but did not find the weapon; police said they believe it is out of the state in the custody of the relative who owns it.