When you hear the phrase Santa Monica High School shooting, your mind probably jumps to a very specific, dark place. We live in an era where school safety is a constant, nagging anxiety for every parent, student, and teacher in the country. But here's the thing: history is messy. Sometimes, the "news" is a single, terrifying day. Other times, it's a series of scares, tragic accidents, or misunderstood incidents that get lumped together in the digital archive of our collective memory.
If you’re looking for a massive, single-day tragedy at "Samohi" (as the locals call it) that mirrors the headlines of places like Parkland or Columbine, you won’t find it.
That’s good news, obviously. But it doesn't mean the school hasn't seen its share of violence, lockdown sirens, and "what if" moments that left the community shaking.
The 1984 Incident: A Forgotten Tragedy
A lot of people today don't realize that one of the most serious incidents involving a firearm at Santa Monica High happened decades ago. It was 1984. Long before the 24-hour news cycle or social media alerts.
Basically, a 17-year-old student named Kenneth J. Ervin walked into a classroom. He wasn't there for a mass casualty event in the way we think of them now, but the result was still devastating. He shot and killed a 15-year-old student, Deanna K. Wright.
It was targeted. It was personal. And it was horrific.
Back then, schools didn't have the "active shooter" protocols we have now. There were no metal detectors. No "Run, Hide, Fight" posters on the walls. The school was a different place, but the grief was exactly the same. When people talk about a Santa Monica High School shooting, this is the historical anchor of that conversation, even if the modern internet has a short memory.
The Confusion with the 2013 Santa Monica Rampage
Honestly, the reason this keyword pops up so often in search engines is due to a massive "location confusion" issue.
In June 2013, Santa Monica was the site of a truly terrifying rampage. John Zawahri killed five people. He started by killing his father and brother, then set their house on fire. He then headed toward Santa Monica College (SMC).
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Here is where the confusion happens.
Santa Monica High School (Samohi) and Santa Monica College are only about a mile apart. They are the twin pillars of education in that city. While the 2013 shooting happened at the College, the High School went into a hard lockdown.
Think about that for a second.
You're a sixteen-year-old in a math class. Suddenly, the speakers crackle. Lockdown. You hear sirens—hundreds of them, it seems—screaming toward the campus just down the road. You see the SWAT teams on the periphery. For those students, it felt like a Santa Monica High School shooting was happening to them, even though the actual violence was contained at the college campus nearby.
The digital footprint of that day is massive. Headlines from the LA Times and CNN blurred together. If you search for "shooting in Santa Monica," you get a mix of results that makes it hard to distinguish between the two campuses. This is how misinformation—or at least "misremembering"—starts to take root in a community.
Near Misses and the Reality of Campus Safety Today
Schools aren't just buildings anymore; they're secured perimeters. Samohi has had several scares over the last decade that kept parents on edge.
Take 2022, for example. There was a report of a person with a gun near the campus. The school went into lockdown. Police swarmed. Students hid under desks. It turned out to be "unfounded," which is a word police use that basically means they didn't find a shooter. But for the kids under those desks? The trauma is real regardless of whether a trigger was pulled.
And then there was the 2017 incident.
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A student was found with a loaded handgun in his backpack. He didn't use it. He didn't point it at anyone. But he had it.
That's the "new normal" for Santa Monica High. It's not always about a "shooting" in the active sense. It's the constant, low-grade fever of potential violence. The school district (SMMUSD) has spent millions on fencing, "single-point-of-entry" systems, and camera upgrades. They’ve brought in experts from firms like Guidepost Solutions to audit their security.
Why We Get the Facts Wrong
Why do we keep searching for a Santa Monica High School shooting?
Part of it is the "Mandela Effect." We remember the tragedy at the college and transpose it onto the high school. Part of it is the sheer volume of "swatting" calls. Swatting—where someone calls in a fake shooting to see the police response—has plagued California schools.
In April 2023, a wave of fake calls hit high schools across the state. When these things happen, the "breaking news" tweets go out immediately. "Active shooter at Santa Monica High!" They get retweeted a thousand times. Even when the police clarify five minutes later that it was a hoax, the original, terrifying headline stays in the Google index forever.
It’s a cycle of digital ghosts.
Mental Health and the Local Response
Santa Monica is an affluent area, but that doesn't insulate it from the mental health crisis. After the 2013 college shooting, the local high school significantly ramped up its "social-emotional learning" (SEL) programs.
They realized that security isn't just about gates. It’s about knowing which student is sitting alone at lunch with a heavy heart.
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The City of Santa Monica actually partnered with the RAND Corporation to look at community wellbeing. They found that safety wasn't just about crime stats; it was about the perception of safety. When students feel like a Santa Monica High School shooting is inevitable, their ability to learn drops through the floor.
So, the district started the "Restorative Justice" programs. They hired more counselors. They tried to build a culture where students report threats rather than ignoring them.
What You Should Know if You're a Parent or Resident
If you are looking at Samohi for your kids, or if you live in the 90401 zip code, you have to look past the scary search terms.
- The 1984 event was the last fatal shooting on campus. That is a forty-year gap. In the context of American school history, that's a significant period of safety.
- The 2013 event was at the College. It was a tragedy, but it was a separate institution with different security protocols.
- Lockdowns work. Every time the school has gone into lockdown for a "suspicious person," the system has functioned exactly as designed.
The "shooting" people talk about is often a ghost of the 2013 college rampage or a reaction to the 1984 tragedy.
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps for School Safety
We can't just talk about the past. We have to look at what actually keeps these kids safe right now.
If you're a parent or a concerned citizen in Santa Monica, don't just wait for the next "breaking news" alert. Take these steps:
- Engage with the SMMUSD Safety Committee. They hold public meetings. Go to them. Ask about the "Environmental Design" of the new buildings.
- Understand the "WeTip" System. This is an anonymous reporting line used by the district. Make sure your kids know it’s not "snitching" to report a weapon—it’s life-saving.
- Audit the Digital Footprint. When you see a "shooting" report on social media, check the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) official Twitter/X account before sharing. Most "incidents" at Samohi in the last five years have been hoaxes or off-campus issues.
- Support Mental Health Funding. The biggest deterrent to school violence isn't a locked door; it's a student who feels seen and supported.
The story of the Santa Monica High School shooting isn't one story. It’s a mix of a tragic past, a nearby college massacre, and a modern era of hyper-vigilance. Stay informed, but stay grounded in the facts. The school is a hub of the community, and keeping it safe requires a clear head, not just a reactive one.
The reality of school safety in Santa Monica is complex, but the data shows a district that is hyper-aware of its history and aggressively focused on preventing the next headline. Focus on the actual safety protocols and the current police-school partnerships rather than the sensationalist echoes of the past. Information is your best defense against the anxiety of the "what if."