Detroit Teen Brings Loaded Gun To School
DETROIT (WWJ) - Just days since a 26 people, including 20 children, were gunned down at a Connecticut school, a student was caught with a loaded handgun on Detroit's east side.
The 13-year-old boy, who reportedly felt threatened, brought the weapon Tuesday morning to Marquette Elementary-Middle School on Canyon St. near I-94 and Outer Dr.
The gun was seized when it set off a metal detector at the entrance.
As other students waited in line to get inside, WWJ's Mike Campbell spoke with a parent who was dropping off his children.
He said it's a tough neighborhood. "It's how the school is -- I mean, it's tough in Detroit ... I had three kids go through here. It's alright, you know what I'm sayin'. It's basically a regular school," said the man, who identified himself only as L.A. "Kids cause problems; kids get into it. The pressure here now here is tight."
"I've been born and raised here. It's one them things. If you live here, you won't have a problem. But people from outside the neighborhood, you usually end up with a problem," he said. "If you don't run your mouth and you don't cause a problem there won't be none."
L.A. said this is the second time this has happened in recent months, but he doesn't blame the school. He said people are struggling to take care of their families. "People out here are hungry right now, everybody trying to eat. You know, the jobs are scarce. No money, no jobs ... people losing their homes, and don't nobody care."
In a statement, the Detroit Public Schools said school safety remains a priory. An email was sent to parents informing them about the incident.
The teen was taken to a youth facility. It was not immediately known where he got the weapon.
