A written shooting threat discovered in a men’s bathroom at CBTIS 21 high school in Mexicali forced authorities to conduct backpack inspections of every student entering campus on Wednesday, April 22. The message, which read “tomorrow shooting,” was found Tuesday and triggered an immediate security response from the school’s administration and local police.
CBTIS 21, formally known as Centro de Bachillerato Tecnológico Industrial y de Servicios No. 21, is a public technical high school located on Calzada Cuauhtémoc in Mexicali. School administrators opened the gates early Wednesday morning so that officers from Mexicali’s Dirección de Seguridad Pública (Municipal Public Safety Department) could search each student’s bag before classes began.
Third Mexicali School Threat in Recent Days
The CBTIS 21 incident is the third threat at a Mexicali-area school in a short span. Similar threats were also reported at CETIS 18 and CBTIS 140, both in the Mexicali municipality. All three schools fall under the DGETI system (Dirección General de Educación Tecnológica Industrial), the federal agency that oversees Mexico’s network of industrial and technical high schools.
No weapon was found during Wednesday’s backpack search at CBTIS 21, and authorities have not identified a credible suspect. Despite the scare, the school resumed classes after the inspection concluded.
What Parents Should Know
The pattern of bathroom-wall threats across multiple Mexicali preparatory schools has put the local education community on alert. DGETI activated its preventive security protocol at CBTIS 21, a measure that includes early gate openings, physical bag searches, and coordination with municipal police. Parents with children at DGETI-affiliated schools in Mexicali should expect possible continued inspections in the coming days.
Copycat threat messages at schools have become an increasing concern across Mexico, often prompting full security mobilizations even when no actual danger materializes. Authorities urge anyone with information about the threats to contact Mexicali’s public safety department.
This story was first reported by Semanario ZETA.