Student Charged With Bringing Gun Into Barrington High School
UPDATE: 6:27 p.m. Nov. 30, 2015
CHICAGO (CBS/STMW) -- A northwest suburban high school was locked down Monday morning, after a teacher reported seeing a student with a handgun in a restroom.
Barrington High School was locked down for approximately 45 minutes after the incident was reported and students and staff were secured in their rooms. Police searched the building and located the student with an unloaded handgun and ammunition in a back pack, according to a joint statement by Barrington School District 220 and Barrington Police.
According to Barrington police, a 16-year-old student has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and three counts of possession of a controlled substance.
The school practiced for an active shooter situation back in March, but never thought those skills would need to be put to the test.
Mother Kathleen McLaughlin said she got a text from her son which said, "Mom can you tell me what's going on cause something is going on and we're in lockdown and we're sitting on the floor."
An announcement over the PA system at approximately 10:30 a.m. put the entire school in a hard lockdown.
"We walked into the corner and we were all secured, all lights off, all doors locked," said student Michael Curran.
Administrators say a teacher spotted a gun in a 16-year-old male's backpack.
The two just happened to use the same bathroom at the same time. But investigators say the teacher never confronted the student. Police said the teacher did what they were supposed to do.
Micah Gaffey was in the same room as the suspect when the school went into lockdown.
"He said that he thought he might have weed on him, marijuana and they thought the cops were looking for him and that's why the lockdown was happening," said she said.
Gaffey says the suspect never got angry or aggressive. He was arrested a short time later.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
