Police: Indiana middle schooler sent photo with stolen gun on Snapchat

INDIANA, Pa. (KDKA) - An Indiana middle school student is accused of sending a photo of himself holding a stolen gun on Snapchat, leading to a search of the school Tuesday.

Eighth graders in the Indiana Area School District had their backpacks checked after officials said in a joint release that the district received a Safe2Say report between 6:30 and 7 a.m.

Officials said they learned a junior high student showed a stolen handgun to another student and sent a photo of himself holding the gun on Snapchat Sunday. 

The student's mother was notified that her son had a stolen gun and returned it to its owner, but officials said neither law enforcement nor the district were notified about the situation. But after receiving the Safe2Say tip, officials said they were able to trace it back to the student, who was separated while the school continued to search his classmates out of an abundance of caution. 

The district attorney's office said it approved filing a juvenile petition against the suspect, but because of the privacy restrictions of the juvenile justice system, any other information won't be released.

The district had counselors available throughout the day and will continue to make those services available for students.