Thanks to a tip from a student, Edmonds police arrested a 15-year-old student who reportedly was carrying a loaded gun on the Edmonds-Woodway H.S. campus late last month. No one was injured during the indecent.
On Sept. 29, at 1:11 p.m., Edmonds police received a call from a teacher at Edmonds-Woodway H.S. who told police that a student reported that another student had a loaded gun being their backpack. The 15-year-old male student was arrested after police arrived on campus at 1:13 p.m.
“In the next 13 or 15 minutes, the officers were meeting with administrators who had called 911 to determine if this threat was credible and where the student was,” Edmonds Police Sergeant Josh McClure said.
Working with staff, the school was put in a modified lockdown. Through an announcement, teachers were informed to keep their students in class as the end of the school day was approaching. Within two minutes after the announcement, six police officers went into the suspect’s classroom, placing him in custody and seizing the weapon.
Following the incident, the student was taken for a mental health evaluation and then placed in a juvenile detention center.
Later that day, Edmonds-Woodway Principal Allison Larsen sent out a letter to families and staff members explaining the situation.
“We are very grateful no one was hurt in this incident,” the letter stated.
The situation was handled quickly by police, but without the student informing the teacher and the teacher calling 911, the gun may never have been reported.
“We’ve been doing it the right way, which is [to] get on scene and go to the threat,” McClure said. “In terms of prevention, we are asking for a lot of help from the public and the students. If you know a threat, or if you know people with weapons, come forward and report it. If you’re concerned and if you know something, if you see something, say something and report it. Go to the administrator and really don’t take no for an answer.”
