9-year-old faces expulsion after loaded gun found in Kettering school locker
Feb. 24—A 9-year-old Kettering elementary school student who admitted bringing a loaded handgun to school has been suspended and may face expulsion, officials said Wednesday.
The gun was found by police inside the student's locker at John F. Kennedy Elementary School on Tuesday with its chamber pulled back, records show.
"There were rounds inside the firearm and the magazine ... was inserted inside the weapon," according to a Kettering police report obtained by the Dayton Daily News.
Kettering school officials called the issue "an extremely concerning event," adding that the student has been suspended from school for 10 days and is recommended for expulsion.
"As we all process the seriousness of this incident and reemphasize the role each of us can play in partnering to keep our schools safe, we want to send our sincere 'thank you' to the JFK student who reported seeing the gun and to the parent who immediately contacted the school with this information," read a statement released late Wednesday afternoon by Kettering Superintendent Scott Inskeep and JFK Principal Laura Meek.
Classes had ended for the day when JFK staff told police around 3:25 p.m. Tuesday that the student was no longer at the Polen Drive building when the pistol was reported to police.
The Sig Sauer P365 9mm handgun was tested by police and found to be "in good working order," according to the report. The gun was described by police as "a pink camo firearm."
The case will be presented to the county juvenile prosecutor for possible charges, the police report states.
Kettering police were called to the school after classes ended Tuesday.
A JFK staff member told police that another student told his parents about the gun after the 9-year-old showed it to him, the KPD report states.
The student who was shown the gun didn't report it to his teacher because "he was scared (the 9-year-old) would hurt him," according to the report.
The student then told school staff that he believed the gun was still in the locker, the report states.
When a JFK staff member first saw the gun, she thought it wasn't real because of its color. But she picked it up "and as soon as she noticed it was heavy and could see rounds in the chamber she immediately put the weapon down," according to the KPD report.
A parent contacted Meek after the student mentioned seeing the gun, according to a message sent to families Tuesday.
"While we are not aware that there was any threat or danger to students or staff during the school day today, we do take this very seriously and will be working with the Kettering Police Department on how this incident will be handled," the principal said in Tuesday's message.
JFK, like all of Kettering's elementary schools, serves students through fifth grade.
Separate Kettering gun case
A previous Kettering schools gun case that county Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. called a "serious threat" had been scheduled to be heard Wednesday, but was reset for April 11, according to court records.
That case involves a Van Buren Middle School eighth-grader who was 13 when Kettering police said he made a statement to other students Dec. 16 that he was "going to be the future shooter" at the school, KPD records show.
Heck said the boy — now 14 — faces a felony inducing panic count. But records filed Jan. 26 in juvenile court did not state a specific charge.
