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Following a tip, authorities discovered a loaded weapon inside Lawrence High School on Wednesday morning, triggering a lockdown and search of the building on Princeton Pike.
According to Lawrence Police Chief Brian Caloiaro and Lawrence Schools Superintendent Ross Kasun, the event began about 8:30 a.m. when school administrators discovered that a kid might have a firearm.
Officials from the school, working with School Resource Officer Steven Austin, were able to find the student, who was a 15-year-old guy with a loaded revolver. Caloiaro said Austin detained the student without incident.
According to the superintendent and chief, the initial report caused a lockdown, followed by a shelter-in-place after the student was arrested and the rest of the student body was confined in their first-period classrooms. Officers, in collaboration with the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, searched all student backpacks.
There were no more weapons found, and authorities examined the school's exterior and surrounding area as well. According to the chief, no more things were discovered.
The school day resumed later Wednesday morning, according to Kasun.
The teen will be charged with four firearm possession crimes, including possessing a defaced firearm and possessing a weapon on school grounds.
Kasun said the school made counselors available to students if they needed assistance or if they wanted to just talk about the incident.
“The safety and security of our students and staff will always be our top priority. Weapons of any kind are not permitted on or near school property. Any student caught with a weapon will be referred to law enforcement and punished accordingly,” Kasun wrote in a letter posted on the schools’
website.
