Police: Student Charged After Loaded Handgun Found In Backpack At High School
WILMINGTON, Del., (CBS) – A 17-year-old high school student is facing weapons charges after a loaded handgun was found in his backpack, state police said.
It happened shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday at John Dickinson High School in Wilmington.
Delaware State Police say a trooper, assigned to the high school as a school resource officer, was notified by school officials of a tip received that a student possibly had a handgun in his backpack.
The trooper and school staff found the student in a first floor classroom while class was in session.
Police say the student was immediately separated from the backpack and school staff escorted him into the main hallway.
According to police, the student immediately fled the school into a wooded area.
Police say a search of the backpack, located on the seat of the desk where the student had been sitting, revealed a fully loaded Kel-Tec 9mm Luger semiautomatic handgun with the serial number obliterated.
After an extensive search involving troopers, a state police helicopter and New Castle County Police, the student was taken into custody without incident on Tapley Lane in the development of Limestone Acres.
Police say there was no immediate threat or danger to the safety of the students or faculty during the incident.
According to police, further investigation revealed that the student was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The 17-year-old was charged with the following: Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited with a Prior Felony, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited with a Prior Felony, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon a Firearm, Possession of a Weapon with a Removed, Obliterated, or Altered Serial Number, Possession of a Weapon in a Safe School Zone, and Resisting Arrest
He is being held pending arraignment.
The incident remains under investigation.