Video of feigned graduation shooting sparks concerns

A Facebook video of a teenager pretending to shoot people at a Twin Falls high school graduation is a wakeup call, according to a local law enforcement official.

“It does show that we have to be ever vigilant about how we deploy security personnel and law enforcement during these events,” College of Southern Idaho public safety director Jim Munn told the Times-News Tuesday. “We need to do a better job, I think, at managing and watching the crowds. I think that’s just really important.”

The May 22 incident occurred on the CSI campus, as students from Twin Falls’ Canyon Ridge High School were graduating.

Joseph Simon captured the incident on video, posting it on his Facebook page. Eventually, the former military police officer could tell the teenager was holding an umbrella.

“He just starts taking up sniper positions,” Simon told Julie Wootton-Greener of the Times-News. “We were just like, ‘what’?”

Twin Falls School District officials are trying to identify the teenager, but district spokeswoman Eva Craner told the Times-News that it’s unclear if the teenager is a Twin Falls student.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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