A 14-year-old boy was arrested after deputies say he brought a loaded handgun to the first day of school at Graham-Kapowsin High School in Pierce County.
Deputies were called to the school just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, after staff reported a student with a weapon, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said the boy and three other current and former students had been avoiding campus safety officers throughout the day. When deputies located the boy, they found him carrying a 9mm pistol with two rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber, according to court documents.
A cellphone recovered from the boy displayed a lock-screen photo of him holding the gun, deputies said. He also had a balaclava and a bandana.
The teen, who is a student at a junior high in the Puyallup School District, told deputies he did not intend to shoot anyone, court records state.
“This could have been a serious incident if it had not been for the Campus Safety’s amazing situational awareness and swift actions,” a spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Amazing work by all.”
The boy was booked into Remann Hall Pierce County Juvenile Detention Center and charged Thursday with first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possessing dangerous weapons on school grounds. The three other Graham-Kapowsin students were also detained.
