Portland Teen Faces Terrorism and Attempted Murder Charges After School Cafeteria Chemical Incident

A chemical emergency in an Oregon high school cafeteria that left a student in critical condition has turned into a domestic terrorism and attempted murder case against the same teenager school employees worked to save.

The 15-year-old Benson Polytechnic High School student is facing 19 criminal charges 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 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. Those included 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 are unlawfully manufacturing and possessing a destructive device, possessing a weapon in a public building, unlawfully using a weapon and recklessly endangering another person.

The teen’s attorneys denied the allegations and said he is receiving care at an inpatient mental health facility, The New York Times reported.

Vasquez said prosecutors would seek to transfer 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 district attorney also criticized what he described as a broader weakness in Oregon’s juvenile justice system. Under the system, oversight ends when a person turns 25, even if authorities believe that individual remains a threat to the public.

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“I think that that is wrong,” Vasquez said, arguing that the age limit 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 began 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 quickly moved students away while the school nurse treated the teenager until first responders arrived. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition but 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 care following the incident, 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.