A high school student was caught and arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after he brought a loaded handgun to school, according to police.
The 15-year-old male individual was apprehended at about 1 p.m. at the newly opened Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky.
A fellow student noticed the gun and warned the school’s principal, said superintendent Kevin Hub, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Police officers immediately took action and found the student with a gun in his waistband. The .380 caliber gun was loaded. The student was disarmed and apprehended without incident.
The Georgetown police department issued a statement on Facebook: “At approximately 12:56 pm today Georgetown PD School Resource Officers received information that a Great Crossings High School Student was in possession of a handgun on school property. Officers and GCHS School Staff immediately began to investigate. Within minutes the individual was located, searched, disarmed, and taken into custody.
“Through the immediate actions and coordination between Georgetown Police Department School Resource Officers and Great Crossing High School Staff, the incident was resolved quickly and with minimal disruption to the daily school activities,” the statement reads.
“The Georgetown Police Department is proud to partner with our school officials in making your children’s safety of upmost importance,” the statement continues. “Thank you SRO Ben Martin for your diligence in protecting our young people.”
The incident happened after the Arkansas FBI last Monday issued a message on Twitter about an “unspecified internet threat against schools in Kentucky.” The statement added, however, that “There is no evidence indicating this threat is credible,” WKYT reported.
Arkansas Police Chief Rick Elliott added fuel to the flame stating in a Facebook post on Aug. 25 that he believed there was imminent danger of an upcoming high school shooting in Kentucky on Wednesday, and another one in Arkansas on Thursday.
“The Little Rock FBI office received a report indicating a school shooting would occur in Kentucky on August 28, 2019, and in Arkansas on August 29, 2019,” Elliott wrote. “The reporting party lives in another country, and his/her identity could not be confirmed. The reporting party allegedly receive the information while playing an online video game. Attempts to ascertain the identity of the person who made the comment on his/her location were unsuccessful. This information has been provided for general awareness.”
“No direct threats have been made to any of our local school districts,” Elliott added. “We take the safety of our children very serious and will provide the proper security measures and work with our districts to achieve this goal.”
Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis forwarded the FBI statement in a letter to all school superintendents statewide with a warning in relation to a possible upcoming “school shooting threat.” the Herald-Leader reported.
During the Wednesday gun incident, police officers of five different departments were present.
It is not confirmed that Wednesday’s incident was related to the warning. Lewis, however, said it was a reminder for all district staff members to watch the active shooter training video, as decreed by the new state school safety law.
The school district immediately notified the student’s parents by a robocall and a letter is on its way.