Palo Alto teen cited for bringing pellet gun to campus
PALO ALTO – Police cited a female 15-year-old Palo Alto High School student suspected of bringing a pellet gun on campus in December, police said Monday.
Officers responded Friday to an 11:28 a.m. call from school administrators who said students had alerted them that the girl had posted images on social media of her holding a handgun. Students also claimed the girl had brought the weapon on campus months ago and let another student hold it while in a school bathroom.
An investigation found an image dated December 2022 of the girl holding a handgun, which police said they believe may have been an air-powered gun that shoots plastic pellets.
Police cited the student on suspicion of possession of a weapon on a school campus and released her to her family.
Police searched the student's home and did not locate the weapon, which is currently believed to be out of state in the custody of the relative who owned it, according to police.
Palo Alto police praised the students who came forward to report what they had seen online, as well as other students who cooperated and assisted with the investigation.
Police urge anyone with information about the case to call their 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to (650) 383-8984.