Billings Superintendent Releases Statement On Violence in City

After a week filled with homicides in our community, and a city in mourning, Billings SD2 Superintendent Erwin Garcia published a statement to the community:

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I want to provide an update regarding recent events in our community. We have received confirmation from our School Resource Officer (SROs) that the individuals involved in the recent violent incidents do not include any students from SD2, except for one homeschooled student who does not attend school in person.
It’s important to note that none of the victims have a direct connection to our district. However, these series of events impact us all. We are working with the Billings Police Department to ensure that gang activity stemming from the community does not threaten the well-being of students while in school.
Additionally, we have taken steps to address the misinformation surrounding alleged weapons found at West High School. I want to clarify that this information is not accurate; no weapons have been discovered in any of our SD2 schools during the 2023-2024 school year. We strongly encourage both families and staff members to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities to the police.
Furthermore, an external organization is conducting a comprehensive Safety Audit to identify areas of vulnerability within our district. We will keep you updated on the outcome of the Audit and any information provided by our law enforcement partners.
In these challenging times, our ability to surround our students with a profound sense of care, protection, and love is of utmost importance.
Thanks for your attention,

Erwin Garcia, Superintendent

Last week, at a BPD press conference, Chief St. John stated that during recent lockdowns, weapons were confiscated from students in the school. However, that seems to be challenged by the Superintendent.

In the last week, we've had a homicide of a 17-year-old, a 31-year-old, and a 1-year-old killed, and an 18-year-old student at Rocky Mountain College killed in a potentially gang-related event.

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