Bountiful student arrested after bringing a gun to school
Apr 29, 2022, 2:14 PM | Updated: Jun 20, 2022, 2:15 pm
BOUNTIFUL, Utah — Students at Bountiful Junior High are being praised for living the mantra “See something, Say Something” after a fellow student flashed a gun at school.
Bountiful police say a 14-year-old boy brought a gun to school on Thursday and pulled the weapon from his backpack, showing it to another student. Police don’t know why he did that, but they say fellow students quickly reported it to staff who alerted law enforcement.
The teen left campus, so officers went to his house to talk with him – and that’s when he drove up in a vehicle with no plates, according to police.
Officers tried to stop him, but he sped off.
KSL’s Shara Park spoke with Assistant Police Chief Dave Edwards, who says officers called off a chase because school was letting out and it was too risky, especially with a 14-year-old behind the wheel. But eventually, the teen returned home Thursday night and was arrested.
“He said at the time when we located him last night that he panicked,” Edwards said. “He was afraid of what the police contact would be for him.”
A lot of questions police are still trying to answer – like why this teen brought the gun to school and who’s car was he driving.
In the meantime, they, along with the district, are praising those students who spoke up to keep their school safe.
“Our students were fabulous,” said Chris Williams, spokesperson for the Davis School District. “They did exactly what we’ve trained them to do — they saw something, they reported it.”
District officials say the teen who was arrested will not be coming back to school.
The 14-year-old now faces federal charges for bringing the weapon on campus and fleeing from police.
Kathy Ashton, principal of Bountiful Junior High, released a statement to parents Thursday, detailing the incident.
The statement reads in full:
Dear parents,
We want to let you know of an incident that occurred at school today, resulting in the arrest of one of our students this evening by the Bountiful Police Department.
A student allegedly brought what appeared to be a handgun to school and showed it to others. The student subsequently left our campus, and after the situation was reported to us, we promptly notified law enforcement.
The student who allegedly showed the weapon and was taken into custody will not be allowed back to school and will be referred to district case management for a safe school violation.
We appreciate those who reported the situation to us. It’s an indication that the mantra “See Something, Say Something” is part of our school culture and continues to remain as a way to keep our school safe.
We also thank the Bountiful Police Department for their assistance in this matter.
Thank you for your continued support,
Kathy Ashton
Principal
Bountiful Junior High
