Teen brings BB gun on school bus twice in Raleigh County
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A teenager, who was allegedly carrying what looked like a real gun, entered a Raleigh County school bus on the morning of Monday, April 22, 2024, Raleigh County officials confirmed to 59News.
The gun was confirmed to be a BB gun two days later, after the same juvenile allegedly entered a different school bus and brandished the gun again on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, according to Beckley Police Department Lt. Jason McDaniel.
The student who allegedly brandished the weapon on school property was detained in a facility for alleged juvenile offenders on Thursday, April 25, 2024, said the lieutenant.
Lt. McDaniel said on Monday, a male student allegedly boarded the bus in the 300 block of G Street, brandished what appeared to be a handgun and pulled the trigger.
The bus driver told police he had heard “clicks” when the student pulled the trigger, said Lt. McDaniel.
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He said the student allegedly fled from the bus immediately, and the bus driver reported to police that a handgun had been brandished on the school bus.
The student was either expelled or suspended from Raleigh County Schools at the time of the incident, said Lt. McDaniel, and witnesses onboard the bus allegedly knew the student and were able to identify him to authorities
Beckley Police Department issued a juvenile petition for brandishing and possessing a weapon on school property, said Lt. McDaniel.
At the time, authorities believed the student had brandished a handgun and pulled the trigger.
The Monday petition initially charged the teen with six to eight counts of wanton endangerment, based on the number of people on the school bus, according to Lt. McDaniel.
Police were unable to locate the suspect on Monday and Tuesday, said Lt. McDaniel.
On the morning of Wednesday April 24, 2024, Lt. McDaniel said, the same student allegedly entered a different school bus at the corner of Powerline Drive and Clyde Street in Beckley, and pulled what witnesses identified as a handgun before running from the bus.
He did not make threats while allegedly brandishing the BB gun on Wednesday, said Lt. McDaniel.
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On the same day, a lieutenant with Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office arrested the juvenile at a S. Kanawha Street convenience store, The Corner Shop, on the petition which had been issued on Monday, he said.
At that point, Lt. McDaniel said, the arresting deputy found the BB gun.
For the Wednesday incident, Lt. McDaniel said, the student was charged with brandishing a weapon.
“When (the deputy) found him on Wednesday, he had, in his possession, a black handgun, which then turned out to be an AirSoft gun, which shoots plastic BB’s,” said Lt. McDaniel.
He added that police believe the student allegedly used the same BB gun in both incidents, based on descriptions given to police by witnesses.
He said the parents of the minor who brandished the BB gun on the school buses cannot be charged, because it is legal for minors to purchase BB guns.
Lt. McDaniel said the gun allegedly used in the two incidents did not have an orange tip, which would have indicated it was a BB gun.
Lt. McDaniel said that students and the bus driver were correct to report a handgun had been brandished on Monday.
“At this point in time, any gun that you see has to be perceived as a handgun, especially in that situation, where they’re getting on the school bus, pulling the gun and waving it around, it’s a gun,” Lt. McDaniel said. “But it turned out to be an Air Soft gun, that we caught him with.”
He said the students on the bus knew the student who allegedly brandished the BB gun.
“To my knowledge, the students didn’t seem real tore up about it,” said Lt. McDaniel. “They knew who it was and said, ‘He’s just playing around,’ was kind of the gist.”
Despite the reaction from other teenagers, Lt. McDaniel said, the incidents are serious.
Speaking generally, Lt. McDaniel said it is dangerous to pull any type of weapon, including a BB gun, on school property or in a public place.
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He said police, or armed bystanders in the area, may believe lives are in danger and could draw their weapon and even fire at a person who is brandishing a BB gun.
“You would perceive that to be a handgun,” he said. “No matter what the situation is, you perceive someone pulling what looks like a handgun, it is a handgun.”
Woodrow Wilson High School and Beckley Stratton Middle School students were on the two buses at the time of the alleged incidents, according to statements by Raleigh County Schools personnel and parents.
Raleigh County Schools officials had not yet issued a statement on Thursday afternoon.
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