NBC 6’s Julia Bagg has more on what the student did that helped avoid potential tragedy.
When 17-year-old Kevin Garcia spotted a threatening message on his phone against his high school last November, he didn't keep the troubling text to himself.
"It went around, everyone started sending it to each other," he said.
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The senior at Miami Senior High School was already part of the Police Explorers program and knew what to do.
“I reached out to my explorer advisor, Officer Gonzalez," he said.
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Miami Police Department Officer Carla Gonzalez said she got a phone call at 8 p.m. about the threat on social media.
"Someone posted that there was going to be a shooting the next day, at Miami High, at a certain time,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez alerted school authorities and special response units within the department, but credits Kevin for sounding the alarm.
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"He went above and beyond, kept calling me," she said. "He was doing his own investigation on his own side.”
The threat did not come true, but Kevin was honored Thursday with the MPD's Do The Right Thing Award. His father, Miguel Angel, fought back tears of joy.
"I'm very proud of my son," he said.
Kevin was further honored with special recognition among those receiving awards - but while officers congratulated him for speaking up, Kevin said it was no big deal.
“Everyone should do their part if you see something say something, so I was just doing my part," he said. "I’m honored to be honored, but I think being safe is enough for me.”
