A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Eight-Year Old Found with Loaded Gun at MD Elementary School

creative commons

PARK HALL, Md. (AP) - Police in Maryland say they've arrested an 8-year-old boy after a loaded gun was found in his book bag in his elementary school.

The Washington Post reported that it happened Wednesday at Park Hall Elementary School in St. Mary's County. That's the county where just last month, authorities said a high school boy fatally shot a girl and then killed himself as a school security officer confronted him.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service will dig into how this elementary schooler got access to the semi-automatic handgun. School officials found it after another student alerted a teacher. Police believe he brought it from home in an off-base military housing community. They say both of his parents are on active duty.

The boy has been charged as a juvenile with weapons offenses.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.