Student arrested for bringing unloaded handgun to high school in Vancouver
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Deputies arrested a student Thursday who brought a unloaded handgun to Heritage High School in Vancouver, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.
School employees say they found the handgun in the student’s backpack while he was at school.
“The juvenile stated to law enforcement that he had no intention of hurting himself or anyone else,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies took the student to the Juvenile Detention Center for possession of a dangerous weapon on school ground. He was referred to speak with a crisis responder, as per state law for that charge.
Evergreen Public Schools issued the following statement to parents and community members following the incident, which notes the recent tragedy at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
**EDITOR'S NOTE** An earlier version of this story said the gun was loaded. This has since been corrected to say the gun was not loaded, per Evergreen Public Schools.
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Dear EPS Community,
I want to make you aware of an incident at Heritage High School today in which our staff confiscated an unloaded gun from a student. Though I know this situation might be alarming, I thought it was important to share this information and how our staff and law enforcement responded.
Heritage staff quickly identified the student and confiscated the weapon from a backpack. Clark County Sheriff’s Office and district security were called and began their investigation. No students or staff were harmed. While the investigation is ongoing, at this time we do not believe the weapon was brought to school with the intent to harm staff or students.
Especially after the tragic shooting in Texas this week, I know incidents like this are highly concerning. Please know we take these situations very seriously, and the safety of our students and staff is a priority.
These incidents impact our students, staff and school communities' emotional health. For additional resources or help, Clark County has a 24/7 Crisis Line available: (360) 696-9560 or (800) 626-8137. The National Association of School Psychologists offers tips for speaking to your children about school violence. (Also available in Spanish)
Sincerely,
John Boyd, Superintendent
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Estimada Comunidad de EPS,
Deseo informarles sobre un incidente que ocurrió en la Preparatoria Heritage el día de hoy y en el que se confiscó un arma de fuego descargada de un estudiante. Aunque sé que esta información puede ser alarmante, es importante compartirla con ustedes y dejarles saber cómo respondieron nuestro personal y la policía.
El personal de Heritage identificó rápidamente al estudiante y confiscó el arma de una mochila. La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Clark y nuestro personal de seguridad del distrito fueron llamados y comenzaron su pronta investigación. Ningún estudiante o personal resultó herido. Si bien la investigación está en curso, en este momento no creemos que el arma haya sido llevada a la escuela con la intención de dañar al personal o a los alumnos.
Considerando el trágico tiroteo que ocurrió recientemente en Texas, incidentes como este son de mucha preocupación. Tenga en cuenta que tomamos estas situaciones muy en serio y que la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y personal es nuestra prioridad.
También sabemos que estos incidentes afectan la salud emocional de nuestros estudiantes, personal y comunidades escolares. Para obtener recursos o ayuda adicionales, el condado de Clark tiene una línea de crisis disponible las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana: (360) 696-9560 o (800) 626-8137. La Asociación Nacional de Psicólogos Escolares ofrece consejos para hablar con sus hijos sobre la violencia escolar. (También disponible en español).
Atentamente,
John Boyd, Superintendente
