Well, good afternoon everyone. Thanks for joining us. My name is Mike Benner, public information manager here at the Portland Police Bureau. I'll begin with a brief recap of the incident at Benson Polytenic High School back in early September, followed by what brings us here today. Assistant Chief of Investigations Fran Shaining uh and Multma County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez will then provide some remarks. Uh, you might recall back on September 8th, a 15-year-old student at Benson Polytechnic High School brought chemicals to the school cafeteria where he proceeded to mix the chemicals and inhale the gases that were produced by that mixture. As you can imagine, this resulted in a medical emergency. After receiving quick and necessary care from school staff, the student was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Thanks to tremendous efforts of school staff and medical professionals, the student did not lose his life, nor did any of the countless students and staff in the immediate area and throughout the entire school. And this is due in large part again to school staff, but also to the Portland uh fire and rescue bureau. Some of them are represented here today. They handled triaging everyone upon their evacuation from the building. It was really, really incredible work. In the wake of this event, our detectives alongside the district attorney's office and others have been working tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened. This work included interviews with students, staff, and witnesses, review of surveillance video and relevant records, execution of search warrants, and examination of physical and digital evidence. The investigation also identified concerning behaviors and statements made by the student prior to the incident, including an interest in hazardous chemicals, explosives, and violence. All of the investigative findings were forwarded to the Multma County District Attorney's Office for review, and that office has filed the following charges against the 15-year-old student. 10 counts of aggravated, excuse me, 10 counts of attempted aggravated murder. Attempted murder in both the first and second degrees. Domestic terrorism in both the first and second degrees. Unlawful manufacturing of a d a destructive device. Unlawful possession of a destructive device. Possession of a weapon in a public building. Unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangerment. Clearly, these are serious charges and that is not something that any of us up here take lightly. These charges reflect the seriousness of the conduct investigators have uncovered and the potential danger posed to the school community. With that, I want to turn it over to our assistant chief of investigations, France Shening, and he'll be followed by district attorney Nathan Vasquez. Chief, >> good afternoon. My name is Fran Shening. I'm the assistant chief for the investigations branch for the Porton Police Bureau. And I'm joined here by District Attorney Nathan Vasquez with Multma County Sheriff's or Detach, I'm sorry, Multma County District Attorney's Office and Deputy Chief Rob Routt from Portland Fire and Rescue. As Mike said, on September 8th, 2026, shortly before 8:30 in the morning, a 15-year-old student at Benson Polytechnic High School intentionally mixed hazardous chemicals together in a common area of the school while numerous students and staff were nearby. The student was seriously harmed, and many other students and staff were put at real risk. Over a hundred students and staff were triaged that day and assessed and at least seven of them required medical care following the incident. I want to be direct about how serious this in incident was. We're grateful the harm was not greater, but that was outcome was largely because of the fast decisions made by people who were there and who responded to the incident. Benson High School staff acted within moments. Teachers and administrators moved students away from the area. The school nurse began caring for the student before first responders arrived. Those first few moments were critical in preventing further harm and lives being lost. Portland Fire and Rescue arrived quickly, took over medical care, and recognized the hazardous materials incident for what it was. Their crews contained the area, protected the people around it, and evacuated the school in an orderly way. Portland police officers and our school liaison officers arrived alongside of them to secure the campus and begin the investigation. This investigation is complex. Detectives continue working to establish exactly what happened, how the materials came to be at school, and what led up to that morning. That work involves physical evidence, forensic analysis, digital evidence, and many, many interviews with students and staff. Because this involves a juvenile, there are limits on what we can share. Those limits exist to protect a young person and the integrity of the investigation. From day one, we've worked closely with the Multma County District Attorney's Office. Prosec prosecutors have been briefed throughout and decisions about the case were made together carefully and according to the law. I also want to recognize the impact this has had on the Benson High School community. Students saw frightening things in a place where they should feel safe. Parents got a call no parent wants. Again, I'm grateful the swift responses that morning and the close coordination between police, fire, and public school public port school staff allowed students to safely leave the area and be reunited with their families. We're also mindful this is a painful time for the students family. I'm grateful his medical condition has improved and he's receiving the care he needs while the case proceeds forward. Before we close, I want to speak to every parent, teacher, friend, neighbor, or anyone who has a young person in their life. Incidents like this rarely come from nowhere. There are signs, whether it's a young person who pulls away, talks about hurting themselves or others, becomes fixated on violence, or starts collecting things that they don't that don't belong in their hands. If something about a young person's statements or behavior worries you, trust that instinct. Reaching out early is not getting someone in trouble. It's getting them help. The Portland Police Bureau has programs including our school liaison officers and our behavioral health unit that can help navigate that conversation and connect folks with resources. There are also local resources that are available if if you need them. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available. You can call or text 988. The Multma County Behavioral Health Center is available. The Oregon Youth Line provides a way for teens to anonymously file tips about concerns on someone's safety or school safety. And the Safe Oregon anonymous school safety line as well. With that, I'd like to welcome District Attorney Nathan Vasquez to provide some remarks. >> Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Nathan Vasquez. I'm the district attorney for Mult County. I want to start by addressing u the Benson High School community, the parents, the teachers, the staff, and of course the students. Uh this has been extremely traumatic for that group and my heart goes out to them and I want them to know that throughout this um what they've gone through is not lost on my office and is not lost on me. and their safety and their well-being is at the forefront of my mind as I go forward with this particular case and making sure that they are in a safe and an environment that we want for all of our children because of the laws of the state of Oregon surrounding juveniles. I'm not going to get into the facts of the case. Uh for those of you that attended the hearing, I would refer to you to that. Um, but I really want to make sure that we express the deepseated thanks to the staff at Benson, the teachers who work to make sure that those children were safe. And I want to be clear, they're teenagers, but these are children and they deserve a safe environment. And yes, I'm a firm believer in compassion and accountability and being empathetic. But those two things are not mutually exclusive. We can have empathy, but we also must make sure that we have an accountable system that makes sure that our students in our schools are safe going forward. 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. It's felt by the parents who watch their children walk into that school. Safety in our schools is not something that can be negotiated. We at the district attorney's office will do everything within our power moving forward to ensure that our community is safe. That includes seeking waiver into adult court for this particular youth. Again, to the teachers and staff, I say thank you. This could have been much worse had they not taken the actions they did. And of course, I want to thank the law enforcement that did a thorough investigation response and to the medical personnel that were so dedicated in saving this particular youth. So to close, I also want to know that there are victims out there that as they're hearing this are coming forward and we want to hear from you. If you went to a hospital, if you were ill, please come forward. reach out to the Portland Police Bureau or to the District Attorney's Office. We want to hear from you. [snorts] And it should not be lost that this event is a great example of how um our community is strong and lucky because we have teachers, staff member, law enforcement that choose to run towards that danger, that choose to help, that choose to try to do everything in their power, even at risk to their own lives, to help students and families. Again, the district attorney's office will be taking every action within its power to make sure that we can help keep Benson as safe as possible. >> All right. Thank you, DA Vasquez. Before we open it up to Q&A, just a reminder, obviously the prosecution piece is just beginning. Uh it also involves a minor, and with that comes a bit of fragility and sensitivity. So, I hope everyone understands that uh perhaps not every single question will be answered um as we don't want to jeopardize uh the integrity of this investigation and this prosecution that's about to happen. Uh with that, uh we'll take questions. We also have Sergeant Defrain here uh who's been working this case for the last few weeks. We also have some representatives from Portland Fire and Rescue. So, um we will start with Joel. Go ahead. >> Um Joel with Qu6 News. My question is for anyone who wants to answer, but um we just came back from the hearing where they mentioned that the FBI also seized some some information. They mentioned 764. What can you tell us about that? >> Uh good afternoon. So my name is Jim Defrain. It's D like David E capital F like Frank R A I N. I am the supervisor of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit and the investigative supervisor for this case. Uh to answer that question, the FBI is actively processing several pieces of electronic equipment that we seize during the service search warrants. That is very early uh in its stage. Um what was mentioned at the hearing this morning is correct, but that is nothing that we've memorialized yet outside of that room uh because we're continue to work on that process. >> J, >> um question for DA Vasquez. Uh, I wanted to know what went into making the determination um that this was a domestic terrorism case. >> Well, um, of course, we're going to review facts and this is something that we responded to on day one and have been working on. And just so we're clear, what we're talking about is a newer Oregon law and uh, it's RS16.125. And you know, when we're defining what domestic terrorism is, I would I would refer people to that law and to look specifically to 1B um when we start talking about about why we we made the decisions we did. And you know, we're always going to be looking at um in in every criminal case, even in the juvenile context, we look at how do the facts in the law come together and what are the appropriate charges. >> Oh, yeah. Um Steve as well. Um can you clarify someone clarify how this student um expressed these desires uh to commit these crimes? Was it online? Was it in person? Um anything like that? >> It's one that I know um is difficult. This is where I would certainly be happy and would love to if it were in a different context, but because of the juvenile laws around confidentiality, I can't get into that other than to refer you to the juvenile court, maybe what you you were heard or saw at the juveninal court. coming out of KXL. Did I hear you say that you were thinking of having him charged in adult court, seeking a waiver for adult? >> So, how this works is that um you know there was a change in law before we had where uh if we issued cases, individuals between the age of 15 to 18 would start in adult court. with that change of law. I believe it's 1008. Uh that law has made it so that juveniles aged 15 up until their their 18th birthday start in juvenile court. That process includes the district attorney's office filing uh a request and paperwork to um have them what's called waved into adult court. Um there's a whole process of hearings and and we have to go through that before they enter into um into adult court. Our intention going forward is to seek that waiver. >> My question also for you, Da Vasquez, uh obviously the uh prosecutor in court this morning or this afternoon, I should say, was pushing to get this teen uh held in a juvenile detention facility as opposed to uh a facility like the Perry Center. I'm just curious what your initial reaction is to that initial ruling from the judge today about uh allowing this team to be released back to the custody of his parents uh before being transferred to the Perry Center. >> Couple of different thoughts. One is there's a process in juvenile court where um if a referee makes a decision, we can seek a um a reharing with a judge. We have filed that paperwork. Um my thoughts and opinions on that while generally I tend to be very blunt and would like to express my extreme frustration with bad decisions that are made uh because of juvenile court u confidential laws I'm not going to do that in this case. >> Um so why try him as an adult or why try to try him as an adult and also we've heard from students that this defendant was bullied a lot. Is there anything you guys can tell us about that? >> Yeah. Um, again, I can't get into the facts, the underlying facts of that. And I I will say always that, you know, we can certainly have compassion for individuals, but I'm looking at um conduct and how dangerous that is and what I consider to be safe for the community. Um, going forward, I'm balancing um when making decisions and and looking forward uh you know, the safety of is it 50, is it 100, is it 500 children at a school? and and that's where I'm I'm looking going forward. Um when we talk about um the the juvenile laws, one of the what I would point as a failing of that law is that uh no matter what no matter what danger that individual presents to the community at age 25, all jurisdiction ends. I think that that is wrong. I think it is a denial of reality that we cannot have a process where whether a person commits murder of multiple people or engages in acts of uh such as domestic terrorism that no matter what that jurisdiction ends at 20 at age 25. So, if someone were, let's say, 17 years old and and 300 days, um, they would spend, I hate doing math on the spot, but about seven years potentially in custody. And then no matter what, even if they at the end of that time, they were ruled to be the most dangerous person organ. It wouldn't matter at age 25, they would be released from the juvenile facility, and they would not be on juvenile supervision or adult supervision. All jurisdiction ends at age 25. >> Uh, this is a question I recognize you may or may not be able to answer. Um, but if you can, uh, where did the number 12 come from as far as, uh, the attempted murder charges, if you're able to speak to that threshold or not? >> I think there's just a a law of diminishing returns. And I'm going to speak in general terms that when we have instances involving a multitude of victims, uh the prosecution will will look at that and say at what point um should we stop? And particularly in the juvenile context, it becomes um because of that hard stop at age 25, sadly it does not matter if we had charged 200 400 counts. And I'm going to take it out of this context of this case. I'm just saying in general. Um so that that's why the numbers um don't always reflect >> um sentences for what I've seen is an organization known for exporting minors online to commit dangerous crimes at this point. Should we expect any charges against any other adults or anybody for any planning role in what happened? >> I'll just say that the investigation is ongoing. Um, this office and I know that the port Portland Police Bureau and the Portland Fire Bureau are dedicated to keeping this community safe. If we determine or find any links, if there are people that can be charged, this office will charge them. >> Um, charge the frame just specifics if possible about the chemicals used or the sophistication. >> I think it came up earlier, so this wasn't something that we were going to share or talk about, but you were all sitting in the hearing and so you heard the same thing. uh when hazmat arrived and then when my folks arrived uh the indications that we had pretty immediately was a gas a toxic gas called hydrogen sulfide. Um I'm not going to talk about the precursors or how any of those got made for obvious reasons. Uh from that we immediately ran some samples down to the 102nd CST with the Oregon National Guard uh that day and had them triage those items. uh they agreed with our initial assessments. From there, we took those samples and sent them to the FBI lab on the east coast and that is where they are now. So, we'll be unable until we get that report back to tell you exactly what the precursors were. >> Was hydrogen cyanide present as well? That was mentioned in court. Also, >> hydrogen cyanide was was mentioned in court. According to our chemists uh with the 102nd CST, they believe that was an error of the uh the meter. [clears throat] Thank you, Sergeant Defrain. And I want to thank uh all of our speakers and also just again acknowledge our representatives from Portland Fire and Rescue. While they didn't necessarily need to speak today, they played an incredible role and I thought it was important for them to be here because again the role they played in in this ending the way it did. Uh one last thing, DA Vasquez mentioned it. Uh although the prosecution has started, this is still an open and ongoing investigation. We're asking anyone in the community, specifically the Benson community, uh, who has information about this case, who hasn't reached out to police, uh, to please reach out to the Portland Police Bureau. Uh, with that, we will conclude, uh, this briefing, and I thank everyone for being here and wish you all a safe weekend. Thank you.