North Austin News

On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, the Austin Police Department (APD) was alerted to a credible threat at Graham Elementary School in northeast Austin. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received a tip regarding an Instagram user making concerning statements online. APD investigated the case alongside the FBI, Austin Independent School District Police (AISD PD), and the Travis County District Attorney’s office. The Instagram user, identified as 17-year-old Giana Castillo, was charged with a 3rd Degree Felony Terroristic Threat and taken into custody (APD Case #24-2331338). The parents are cooperating with law enforcement. AISD PD has added additional patrols at Graham Elementary since learning about this threat.

This incident follows the recent Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC) School Safety Symposium held in early August for public safety personnel, secondary education staff and security directors, and private sector threat assessment professionals. The symposium aimed to foster constant collaboration between public safety entities, ARIC, federal partners, mental health professionals, and educators to keep each other informed of potential threats before they occur.

Thanks to such partnerships and training opportunities, this credible threat was stopped promptly. A suspect was quickly identified and taken into custody.

“We’re committed to keeping our community safe and have taken measures to prevent any threats. We’re currently recruiting and onboarding additional police officers in compliance with HB 3 to expand coverage districtwide, including at every elementary school,” said Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed. “Last year we also partnered with the Travis County Sheriff's Office to use the old Rosedale School facility as a training center for active threats on campus. We’ll continue to work regionally to prepare for any threats, including completing annual tabletop crisis exercises with regional law enforcement, partner organizations, and healthcare teams to ensure in the case of any crisis, we’re able to quickly respond.”

Thanks to the partnership between APD, FBI, and AISD PD, a possible tragedy was prevented ensuring community safety. This case underscores the importance of vigilance and reporting suspicious behavior both in person and online.

These regional and national partnerships are crucial for clear communication pathways and swift action when threats emerge. Continued collaboration with law enforcement partners will enable students to learn in safe environments.

"Partnership is a pillar of effective law enforcement and essential to everything we do. We appreciate our partners at the Austin Police Department and the Austin ISD Police Department who continuously work with us to make sure kids in Austin are learning in a safe environment. They share our dedication to protect the people of Texas,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI's San Antonio Field Office. “We depend on individual residents, our private sector partners and others in the community to speak up and report it when they notice something suspicious. We encourage everyone to visit FBI.gov/prevent to learn more about preventing mass violence. Together we can make a difference and stop those who seek to do harm in our communities."

The Austin Police Department encourages anyone who sees or hears something suspicious or out of the ordinary to report it immediately by calling 9-1-1. This is an active investigation; no further information is available at this time.