Eight-year-old boy is found with a loaded handgun in his backpack after classmate tips off elementary school security guard
- The third-grader brought a loaded handgun to his school near Tampa
- Eight-year-old boy had been showing the weapon to classmates at the school
- One child tipped off a security guard who confiscated the boy’s bag
- The weapon was found hidden in his backpack when it was searched
- No one was hurt and an investigation is underway as to how the boy managed to get hold of the gun
An eight-year-old student has been accused of bringing a loaded gun to an elementary school in Pasco County, Florida, on Thursday.
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the third grade student brought the gun to Hudson Elementary School, in Hudson, north of Tampa.
Deputies say the 9mm handgun was found inside the student’s backpack.
Pasco Sheriff’s Officer, Chris Beaman, explained how the gun was found in a boy’s backpack
The third-grader brought a loaded handgun to his Hudson Elementary school near Tampa
At a news conference on Thursday evening, Chris Beaman from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office explained how the gun was discovered.
A school safety guard noticed a group of boys who were gathered around a fellow pupil in a bathroom around lunchtime on Thursday.
The boy who brought the gun into school was apparently showing it off to his classmates.
The guard instructed the children to head back to their classrooms but one boy stayed behind to inform the school security guard that one of the youngsters had a gun in his backpack.
No one was hurt and an investigation is underway as to how the boy managed to get hold of the gun. A school security guard was tipped off by another pupil
The guard immediately went to the classroom and found the child responsible, and seized the boy’s backpack.
The child was immediately taken to the principals office and the police were summoned.
There was no need for any kind of school lockdown after the guard’s swift action, officials said.
No one was hurt and an investigation is underway as to how the boy managed to get hold of the gun in the first place, according to local police.
The boy is now likely to be suspended for ten days and may be expelled as a result of his actions, in accordance with the school’s disciplinary policy.