An 11-year-old boy has been arrested in Arizona after he brought a loaded gun into school on Thursday, authorities said.
Mountainside Middle School in Scottsdale was put into lockdown after a student told staff they’d found what appeared to be a handgun on the floor of a classroom, the Scottsdale Police Department said . A school resource officer then confirmed the gun was real and loaded.
Responding officers swept the campus for any additional weapons and confirmed students were safe before they began questioning kids who may have had information about the firearm, police added.
“Later that evening, after all evidence had been gathered, detectives arrested the 11-year-old juvenile in this case,” authorities said in an update Friday morning. “Charges are being filed for minor prohibited from possessing firearms, possessing deadly weapons on school grounds, and recklessly handling deadly weapons.”
Mountainside’s interim principal, Nick Noonan, sent a letter to parents on Friday morning saying that police confirmed it was an isolated incident “and there is no threat to the community,” KTVK reports. “We take such incidents very seriously and, in accordance with our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment, the student involved will face disciplinary measures in line with the student code of conduct.”