COLUMBUS, Ohio — An 11-year-old boy was arrested after police say he admitted to bringing a gun he found to a Columbus middle school in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood on Monday.
Columbus Division of Police officers were called to Champion Middle School on North 22nd Street around 12:10 p.m. after receiving reports of kids possibly having a gun and taking a loaded magazine out of a student’s school bag.
A teacher was told by a student that the 11-year-old boy had a gun in his bag and was showing it to people, according to police. The teacher found a loaded magazine inside the boy’s bag but did not find a gun.
Police say four boys, including the 11-year-old, were found in a third-floor restroom and taken to a school office for questioning.
Officers found the weapon, a chrome .380 guardian ACP inside the ceiling tiles in the same bathroom the boys were in.
Three of the boys told police that the 11-year-old boy was showing them the gun.
The 11-year-old boy initially told police that he did not have the gun but did have the magazine. He did not say who had the gun but acknowledged that it was none of the other boys.
After additional interviews, the 11-year-old boy admitted to bringing the gun to school because he found it by the bus stop.
A Columbus City Schools spokesperson told 10TV that the school was on lockdown for an hour.
The boy was taken into police custody and is charged with illegal conveyance and possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone.