What to Know
- A gun was found in a bag a student brought into a New Jersey elementary school, officials said
- A 14-year-old boy was arrested after he was found to be in possession of a gun at James F. Murray Elementary School
- The boy faces charges including possession of a handgun by a minor and possession of a weapon inside an educational institution
An eighth-grade student was arrested at a New Jersey elementary school after a loaded gun was found in his backpack, officials said.
The 14-year-old boy was arrested after he was found to be in possession of a gun at James F. Murray Elementary School in Jersey City on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the mayor said. The tip was called in from another student's mother, according to a source.
The boy, who transferred in just this year, faces charges including possession of a handgun by a minor, possession of a weapon inside an educational institution, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the spokesperson.
No one was hurt. But parents picking up their children from school Wednesday were terrified to learn a loaded gun was discovered there hours earlier, and furious that they never got a call or email from the school about it.
"You have parents frantic now," said one parent. "My friend texted me, 'Are the kids OK?' I said, 'Yeah, why are you asking me that?'"
The Board of Education president, Sudhan Thomas, agreed parents should be first to know when a gun is found inside a school. He said he's been to funerals of four kids killed by gunfire, and promised to learn from a situation he's thankful never turned tragic.
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"Solutions are not barricading schools," he said. "Wsudhane need to get to the socioecomonic root, otherwise we'll be going to more funerals. I'm tired of this."
