A loaded gun was found on a student at Bowie High School after he tried to sneak back in, and thankfully no one got hurt. The police are now looking into how he got the gun and are stepping up safety measures at the school.
Here are the highlights:
- A loaded 9mm handgun was recovered from a student at Bowie High School.
- The student attempted to re-enter the school unauthorized with the firearm in his waistband.
- School employees alerted the School Resource Officer, who safely recovered the weapon and detained the student.
- The student was taken to the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.
- No injuries occurred during the incident, but police increased their presence at the school.
- The recovered handgun was unserialized, complicating law enforcement tracing efforts.
- The suspect did not provide a statement during detention due to Maryland law protecting juvenile suspects.
- There are five metal detectors at Bowie High, with plans to equip all district high schools with them.
- The school principal urged parents to discuss the incident with their children.
- A county forum on juvenile crime is scheduled for November 28, open to the public.
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Firearm Recovered at Bowie High School
On Tuesday a loaded black and tan 9mm handgun with a 30-round extended magazine was recovered from a student at Bowie High School.
Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston stated that the student left school unauthorized and attempted to return back to the building via a back door. The weapon was in the student's waistband when he returned.
School employees spotted the teen entering the building with the firearm and quickly notified the School Resource Officer.
The School Resource Officer safely recovered the handgun and took the teen into custody before he was detained by the Department of Juvenile Services. The suspect was then transported to the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.
Fortunately no one was injured during the recovery of the firearm. As a precaution, Bowie Police Officers maintained an enhanced presence at the high school for the remainder of the week.
The recovered handgun did not have a serial number, making it difficult to trace by law enforcement. Unserialized and privately made firearms have recently been given the nickname "ghost guns".
During his detention, the suspect invoked his rights and did not issue a statement. Under recent Maryland law, juvenile suspects cannot be questioned by law enforcement under any circumstances without an attorney present.
Police have cited this law in the past as a persistent hindrance in curbing juvenile crime. “We were not able to ask him any questions about why he had the weapon, what his intentions were, where he got the weapon," Chief Preston stated.
The PGCPS Director of Safety and Security, Gary Cunningham, stated there are five metal detectors at Bowie High and all high schools in the district will soon be equipped with metal detectors.
In a letter to parents, the school's principal asked families to talk to their children about this incident.
Law enforcement further requests parents do everything in their power to control firearms in the home and prevent them from being stolen or placed in the wrong hands.
A county forum is being organized on Tuesday, November 28 to discuss juvenile crime.
Local police as well as state and county officials will share local crime data, outline legislation to curb regional law breaking, and connect attendees with local police officials.
The forum is open to the public and being held at 6:00pm at Bowie State's Student Center Ballroom.