Police: Boy, 14, Caught With Gun At Crown Heights, Brooklyn Middle School
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A teenage boy was charged as a juvenile Tuesday after he allegedly brought a gun to school in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
The 14-year-old boy allegedly had a 9mm semiautomatic weapon and two magazines containing nine rounds when he walked into M.S. 61 Dr. Gladstone H. Atwell, at 400 Empire Blvd. in Brooklyn, police said.
Sources told 1010 WINS the student told an administrator that he was armed because he had been involved in some sort of confrontation earlier with unspecified people – but not students – outside of school grounds.
The student allegedly got the gun from a friend, police said.
No injuries were reported.
A spokeswoman for the city Department of Education told 1010 WINS the NYPD responded swiftly to the school and confiscated the weapon, and all students and staff were safe.
"This is profoundly disturbing, and we are working in close partnership with NYPD to investigate this incident, the Department of Education said in a statement. "There is zero tolerance for weapons of any kind, and nothing is more important than the safety of all students and staff. Families will be notified and we are providing additional supports to the school community."
The student was charged as a juvenile with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, police told CBS2's Tracee Carrasco.
It was the third time in a week that a New York City student has been caught armed at school.
Last week, students at two schools in Jamaica, Queens were allegedly caught with guns.
On Thursday at York Early College Academy, or YECA a 15-year-old high school student was caught with a .38-caliber gun on campus in Queens.
Police said he was also charged as a juvenile.
Sources said the teen got in a quarrel with a group of students inside the school then opened up his backpack and flashed the weapon.
One of the classmates who saw the gun alerted a school security guard. Students were kept in their classrooms until police arrived.
On Tuesday of last week, police said an 11-year-old boy brought a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol to P.S.40. His grandfather faces charges, including criminal possession of a weapon.
The rash of gun discoveries has prompted some to call for increased security for staff and students.
"There is something going on that children feel they need to carry firearms to school to slolve their differences, or to protect themselves," Gregory Floyd said.
Floyd is the president of Teamsters Local 237. The union represents school safety officers. He said metal detectors need to be installed before a tragedy occurs.
"We are avoiding major catastrophic incidents. How long can we continue to avoid these incidents? We are very lucky," he said.