It wasn’t the first time Jordyn Alexander Howe carried a .40-caliber pistol in his backpack to school.

At least once before, Jordyn sneaked the weapon from the top shelf of his parents’ closet and tucked it into his bookbag. Then, the 15-year-old flashed the weapon to classmates.

However many kids saw the gun, they didn’t tell teachers, parents or police.

Had they told, 13-year-old Lourdes Guzman DeJesus may still be alive.

On Tuesday, Jordyn buried the gun in his backpack again and pulled it out to show a schoolmate on the bus. As he was sliding it into his backpack, the gun went off, striking Lourdes in the neck.

Other students, including Lourdes’ younger sister, heard the shot.

Less than an hour later, Lourdes, an honor roll student at Palm Glades Preparatory Academy, was pronounced dead at Miami Children’s Hospital.

And Jordyn was in police custody.

On Wednesday, charged with manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon, Jordyn was ordered held at a juvenile detention center until Dec. 11, when prosecutors will decide whether to charge him as an adult.

Jordyn, a student at Somerset Academy Silver Palms charter school, did not appear at the hearing. His mother, Karla Guerra, and stepfather appeared briefly to request a public defender.

His mother, later reached by phone, declined to speak to reporters.

But for Lourdes’ mother, there was agony, anger and regret.

“How did it happen? How did he have it on him? How did nobody notice?” a weeping Ady Guzman DeJesus told Miami Herald news partner WFOR CBS-4. “I want answers.”

Sources told the Miami Herald the gun belonged to Jordyn’s stepfather, who kept it hidden on a top shelf of the parents’ closet. Jordyn’s mother did not know it was there. The teen had sneaked it to school without their knowledge. Though the Miami-Dade state attorney will review the case, sources said the parents likely won’t face charges because they “reasonably” made an effort to secure the weapon.

That isn’t enough for Lourdes’ mother, who said she doesn’t understand why no one came forward to tell.

“I forgive him but he has to pay for what he did,’’ she said.

The shooting occurred around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday as the bus was traveling at Southwest 296th Street and 137th Avenue in Homestead.

The gun was recovered at the scene.

Jordyn was taken to police headquarters where he gave a sworn statement, according to his arrest affidavit.

Each of the eight students on the private bus was interviewed Tuesday.

On Wednesday, detectives continued interviewing witnesses and others to piece together how Jordyn managed to get the gun, which was legal, sources said.

Lourdes and her younger sister were among the students on the bus bound for three Homestead area charter schools: Palm Glades Preparatory Academy; Summerville Advantage Academy, which her sister attends; and Jordyn’s school, Somerset Academy Silver Palms.

Neighbors said Jordyn’s family moved into their Homestead house less than a year ago and mostly keep to themselves.

They described Jordyn and his siblings as “polite.”

“It’s a tragic situation,” said neighbor Martin King, adding, “You don’t keep a loaded weapon in the house — and a 14-, 15-year-old should know better. It’s tragic for that family, it’s tragic for the other family.”