Waupaca High School attendance down 90% on Tuesday
Dominick Silva, 17, Waupaca, is accused of telling other students he planned to bring a gun to school and shoot people.
He is charged with the felony offense of making terrorist threats.
Waupaca police were informed of Silva’s alleged plans on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Officers searched Silva’s bedroom that day.
They did not find any guns, but they found eight knives, a hatchet, a handgun holster and a marijuana pipe, according to the criminal complaint.
Police reported finding spent casings in his brother’s room.
The casings belonged to Silva’s father, who said all his firearms were accounted for.
On Monday, Sept. 16, Silva told Waupaca Police Officer Sam Van Dinter that he talked with more than 100 students about bringing a gun to school.
When Van Dinter asked him about his plan, “Dominick stated he would shoot students after lunch in the hallway on Main Street as there would be a large number of students in the hallway then.”
Students report Silva’s threats
Police Liaison Officer Wes Zube met with Principal Michael Werbowsky and two students on Monday morning.
One student said Silva made comments in class on Thursday about his plan.
According to the student, “Silva said he had another person helping with the plan and Silva was doing it for the glory of the school shooting and his friend was doing it for suicide.”
The second student said Silva has been talking about shooting up the school for two years, but he never seemed serious.
Then Silva allegedly provided details of his plan and said he would start a Snapchat group to tell students he liked not to come to school that day.
Silva told the second student he “was going to have his group of people close the doors and he was going to start shooting,” the complaint says.
As students were lying on the ground, Silva reportedly said he would pick them up by the hair, tell them “this is your last chance,” then shoot them again.
A search of Silva’s data storage on the school district’s server found an English paper dated May 9, 2019.
The paper claimed that Osama Bin Laden was a great leader because he accomplished his goals with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“I was advised that messages were being spread through Snapchat, Facebook and text messages about the threats,” Zube reported. “As a result, attendance at Waupaca High School on Sept. 17, 2019, was down by approximately 90%”
UPDATE: Silva was released from custody Tuesday afternoon on a $5,000 signature bond.