Marsh Elementary School Gun: 13-Year-Old 'Tired' Of Bullying Brings Ammo, Firearm To Campus
Posted: 01/11/2013 1:13 pm EST | Updated: 01/11/2013 3:31 pm EST
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=816681413-Year-Old Brings Gun To School, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Crime, Chicago Gun Violence, Boy Brings Bullets To School Chicago, Boy Brings Gun To School Chicago, Cps-Gun-Violence, Marsh Elementary School Chicago, Marsh Elementary School Gun, Students Bringing Guns To School, Chicago News
Marsh Elementary School Gun
Parents and students were troubled to learn a 7th grader had brought a gun to Marsh Elementary School on Chicago's southeast side Wednesday. (Marsh Facebook)
John Marsh Elementary School students on Chicago's Southeast Side waited in the rain Friday morning to file through the school's single metal detector following the disturbing news that a seventh grader brought weapons to campus days earlier.
School officials in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood school in the 9800 block of South Exchange learned of the weapons when they saw a student playing with bullets during recess, reports Fox Chicago.
School officials questioned the boy around 1 p.m. Wednesday and learned he had a folding knife in his pocket, reports the Tribune.
As school officials questioned the 13-year-old, police say he told them he had a .22-caliber gun in a backpack in his locker. ABC Chicago reports the gun was unloaded when school staff recovered it Wednesday but 33 hollow point bullets were found in the student's backpack.
It was not immediately clear how the boy got the gun, who it belongs to or how he initially got in into the school.
Parents troubled by the discovery were also concerned why they weren't told of the Wednesday incident until Thursday afternoon. Marsh parents received letters from the principal outlining tighter security measures, while the seldom-used metal detector and metal detection wands were used Friday.
Complaints from alarmed parents grew so loud, 10th Ward Ald. John Pope came to the school Thursday, according to an ABC broadcast.
Still others worry about what may have prompted the child to bring a gun in the first place.
"Supposedly he was being bullied and he got tired of it," Marsh Elementary parent Yvonne Rodriguez said to Fox.
The Chicago Public School district called the event "an isolated incident," saying through a spokeswoman that "CPS does not tolerate the presence of any weapon of any kind on school property for the safety and security of our schools, students, staff and visitors. School officials took the appropriate steps of notifying CPD, who then took immediate action at the school."
According to NBC Chicago, the boy was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and appeared in juvenile court Thursday morning.
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