West High School student arrested and faces charges for having a handgun

Ryan Wilusz, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·1 min read

A student was arrested after a stolen gun was found at West High School, police say.

At about 12:30 p.m. May 14, security officers were alerted that a student possibly had a handgun, according to Knoxville Police Department spokesman Scott Erland. Officers arrested the student and recovered a handgun.

The student will face charges, Erland said.

The student was in custody when the school received a call about a threat on campus, Erland said. He said police do not think the two incidents are related.

The school was placed lockdown "out of an abundance of caution," Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said. The lockdown was lifted at 2:15 p.m.

West High School is expected to dismiss at 3:30 p.m. May 14 after the school was put on lockdown after a weapon was found on campus and a subsequent call came in warning of a possible threat.
West High School is expected to dismiss at 3:30 p.m. May 14 after the school was put on lockdown after a weapon was found on campus and a subsequent call came in warning of a possible threat.

"I want to thank Principal (Ashley) Speas and her staff, our school security team, and KPD for their swift response," Rysewyk said. "Today was the perfect example of our systems and partnerships working to preserve the safety and security of our students, staff and schools."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Suspect arrested after a weapon was found at West High School