MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN/AP) — As federal authorities wrapped up their search for a Miami Beach Senior High School student accused of making threats in Colorado, her classmates back home are reacting to the news that she was found dead.
Public schools in the Denver area were forced to close Wednesday after authorities said 18-year-old Sol Pais who is “infatuated” with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people.
There was massive manhunt underway for Pais that included efforts from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
Federal agents said there was no longer a credible threat either in Colorado or South Florida after Pais was found to have committed suicide, Thursday.
According to officials, Pais traveled to Colorado from Miami on Monday night and purchased a pump-action shotgun and ammunition.
“It’s crazy that out of all the high schools in America, this girl came from our school,” said Miami Beach Senior High School student Eduardo Filpo.
“It’s scary because she’s right next to me, you know what I mean? Sitting right next to me, and it could have been us,” added student Drew Bernstein.
Classmates at Miami Beach Senior High, the school Pais attended, reacted to the troubling reports.
“I was really scared,” said student Isabella Pirena. “I was coming in an Uber, and I was like, ‘Should I go or should I stay?’ I didn’t know what to do.”
“Most likely she was going through something at home,” student Jerry William added.
Another student noticed things that stood out about Pais.
“She’s just really serious. She never smiles,” student Mia Fuentes said. “I’ve never seen her smile when I see her around the halls.”
Many students described Pais as quiet, smart and courteous.
“I don’t understand. It’s complicated. She’s so quiet. How could someone so quiet be like that?” said student Brandon Boissard.
A higher number of absences was reported at the school by students, Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of kids absent today, and security was way different than it used to be,” said a student at the school.
Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho released a one-minute video to ease the minds of students and staff members.
“There is no imminent or immediate threat to Miami-Dade Schools,” he said. “In an abundance of caution and as a matter of prevention, we have heightened our alert systems and have disseminated information regarding this individual, including her picture, to all schools throughout the district.”
“We took immediate action in strengthening the protective envelope around all schools,” added Carvalho.
Carvalho also mentioned that Pais was not the subject of any prior investigations.
“There was nothing in the history of this young lady at this school or at other schools that would allow anyone to anticipate or predict this type of behavior or outcome,” said Carvalho.
Over at her Surfside home, investigators were spotted by 7News cameras removing a large bag of items.
Neighbors in the area were concerned for their safety.
“I was worried that there was an immediate threat to the neighborhood,” resident Aaron Goldman said. “Beyond that, I had never seen this girl before. I’m not sure how long they’ve been in the community. I’ve been here about five years, and I’ve never seen her before.”
Grief counselors will be on hand at the school for the remainder of the week.
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