Second-grader brought gun and ammo in backpack to school, Arizona officials say
_fitted.png "A second-grader brought two guns and ammunition to school, Arizona authorities said.")
A second-grader brought two guns and ammunition to school, Arizona authorities said.
Deputies were alerted that a 7-year-old Cochise Elementary School student “had a weapon in his backpack” on Monday, Aug. 29, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
After arriving, deputies found a gun and ammunition inside the boy’s backpack, the post said.
“[U]ltimately a second handgun was discovered as well,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Cochise Elementary School did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
An update on the school’s website alerted parents that the sheriff’s office was called that day and “information will be sent directly to the parents of the students involved.”
Karl Uterhardt, the school’s superintendent and principal, told KGUN 9 that he searched the boy’s backpack after a student reported seeing a gun.
“I’ve searched backpacks and stuff and I’ve never found anything ever,” Uterhardt told the outlet.
This time, he said, he found two loaded guns.
The sheriff’s office said it contacted the child’s parents and a “juvenile referral was completed for charges of misconduct with a weapon and minor in possession of a firearm.”
The investigation is ongoing, the office said.
Cochise is about 80 miles southeast of Tucson.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Second-grader brought gun and ammo in backpack to school, Arizona officials say."
