Loaded handgun recovered at Baltimore's Booker T. Washington Middle School
BALTIMORE -- A loaded handgun was recovered Wednesday at a Baltimore City middle school.
Police confirmed that a loaded .25 caliber handgun was found at Booker T. Washington Middle School.
Here is a picture of the loaded gun Sgt. @boatwright12 says was recovered at Booker T. Washington middle school today.
— Avajoye Burnett (@AvajoyeWJZ) October 19, 2022
The Sgt. says it’s very concerning because it’s “… almost a weekly event with our district now.” @wjz pic.twitter.com/qHNuPVSbMK
This is the fourth gun-related incident at a Baltimore City Public School this year.
Last school year, fifteen guns were confiscated on school campuses.
And last month, 17-year-old student Jeremiah Brodgen was shot to death in the Mervo HIgh School parking lot by another Baltimore City Public Schools student.
These incidents have re-ignited the debate on whether school resource officers (SROs) should be armed.
During an exclusive interview with Mayor Brandon Scott, WJZ took that question to him Tuesday.
Scott said he believed the SROs should be armed.
"This is about them protecting," he said. "It's not about using them on students, right?"
Scott said school police officers were armed back when he attended Mervo High School.
"And I never felt like that SRO was a danger to me," he said.
When asked what his plan is for addressing guns found in and around city schools, Scott noted that he was "suing gun companies who are purposefully going around regulations to put guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them."
Scott said he knew Brogen personally.
"Jeremiah told his Mom he'd be seeking me out that day to ask me to help him find a job that would go along with his football schedule," he said. "So, this is a really painful thing to me personally."
Scott said he has been working to make systemic changes both through conflict resolution courses inside schools as Baltimore Police confiscate more guns on the streets and through anti-violence organizations growing within the city's communities.
"You have to do the deep work, and this is why we call this foundation-changing work for the city because it was not done before," he said. "I can't talk about why it wasn't. I can't talk about who didn't and why they didn't do it, but we're starting to do it now."