Mayor, parents horrified 7-year-old was able to bring loaded gun to Dorchester school
DORCHESTER - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the person who allowed a 7-year-old access to a loaded gun and bring it to school needs to be held accountable.
Police were called to the Up Academy Holland school on Olney Street in Dorchester at 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a staff member found the gun in the student's backpack. It was removed safely, no shots were fired and no one was hurt.
It's unclear if the student was in school Friday or whether anyone will face any charges.
"A child does not just get a gun and none of our kids should be anywhere near weapons, much less directly put in danger like this. We're going to make sure there's accountability," the mayor told reporters Friday.
"I'm speechless. I don't have the words. This is truly devastating," Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a statement. "We have to ask ourselves how a very young student becomes in possession of and gains access to a firearm."
"We can't talk about it because it's under investigation," Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said Friday. "But I can say that it's a scary thought that young children having access to guns to bring into school."
"All of us need to do more to do what we can to keep our kids safe, to keep the city safe," Cox told reporters.
Parents of students at the school were very upset as they dropped off their children Friday morning.
"I'm losing my breath and my anxiety is starting to kick in," parent Michelle Lima told WBZ-TV as she brought her first grader to class. "This is just really sad to me. It's disappointing and half these people don't even know what's going on and they're walking in just like I am."
Another parent dropping off her two kids says she found out from the news Thursday night. She believes the school system should have done more to communicate with families.
"I don't feel my children is safe in this school anymore," parent Dania Lara told WBZ.
Wu said police responded around 3:30 p.m. at the end of the day and that the school sent out an email.
"There was not a situation where something happened earlier and people didn't hear about it all throughout the day. It was much later and that communication did go out to families," the mayor said.