Parkrose student who brought shotgun to school gets probation

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 10, 2019

The 19-year-old who brought a shotgun to Parkrose High School in May with the intent to take his own life will serve three years of probation and undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Angel Granados-Diaz pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 10, to one count of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in a public building and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in public.

On May 17, Granados-Diaz brought a shotgun loaded with just one round to the high school campus in North Portland. Investigators say the teen legally purchased the gun and brought it with him to school in a garment bag.

Before he could fire the gun, he was tackled by the school’s football coach, Keanon Lowe, and later arrested.

Prosecutors called the incident a “mental health crisis.”

With his attorney, Granados-Diaz reached a plea deal with the D.A.’s Office to adhere to 36 months of formal probation and get treatment. He must also complete 64 hours of community service within a year, wear a GPS tracking device, and have no contact with his former classmates unless he gets permission from a probation officer. As part of the agreement, the shotgun was confiscated by police and will be destroyed.

“Mr. Granados-Diaz never fired the gun while on campus nor did he ever intentionally point the firearm at anyone but himself,” the DA’s office reported Oct. 10.

“Through the course of the investigation it became clear to law enforcement and our office that Mr. Granados-Diaz did not have the intent to hurt anyone other than himself while at Parkrose High School,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Parakram

Singh said in a statement. Singh was the prosecutor in the case. “The purpose of this resolution is two-fold: it ensures Mr. Granados-Diaz receives mental health treatment to address his suicidal ideations and it ensures a level of accountability for taking a loaded firearm into a school,” Singh added. “This sentence is appropriate as it affords ongoing supervision and safeguards and simultaneously affords Mr. Granados-Diaz with an opportunity to move past this incident so that he can continue to heal.”

After he was intercepted by Lowe and arrested by police in May, Granados-Diaz told police he didn’t intend to harm or injure anyone but himself.

Investigators later learned that the teen was suicidal for months prior, and had made statements about taking his own life to another student before he brought the loaded shotgun to school. The student reported the statements to school administrators who then sent Lowe to find Granados-Diaz on campus.

Granados-Diaz was holed up in a nearby bathroom stall with the gun, and walked out with the weapon, visibly upset as Lowe approached the student’s classroom. He then tried to fire the gun on himself, unsuccessfully.

“When the firearm failed to discharge, Mr. Lowe was able to separate it from Mr. Granados-Diaz as students fled the classroom,” according to the DA’s office.

Resources

Multnomah County’s Mental Health Crisis Line: 503-988-4888.

Lines for Life, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide, has a 24/7 crisis line at 1-800-273-8255

The National Institute of Mental Health has a “Frequently Asked Questions” section about suicide on its website

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-237-TALK.

The National Crisis Text Line is available by texting the word “HOME” to 741741.

If you have information that suggests a person in crisis may harm themselves or someone else, call 911 immediately.