Police have arrested a Texas high school student after semi-automatic weapons were found in his car, a day after 21 people were murdered by another high school student in the state.
The police department in Richardson, a municipality in the greater Dallas area, said it received a call at about 11am on Tuesday regarding a male individual walking towards Berkner high school with what appeared to be a rifle.
Richardson is about 300 miles away from Uvalde, where an 18-year-old man stormed into Robb elementary school on Monday and fired a semi-automatic rifle into a fourth-grade classroom, killing 19 children and two teachers.
“Within minutes of the call being dispatched, numerous police officers from various units within the Richardson police department responded to Berkner high school and initiated a search and investigation into this incident,” the police department said.
Officers proceeded to notify nearby schools, and Berkner and another high school were placed on lockdown for about 50 minutes, according to a letter sent to parents. No gunfire or injuries were reported.
Police later identified the boy as a student at Berkner high school, after finding him inside the school. No weapons were found, but on further investigation police discovered a vehicle used by him in a nearby parking lot, containing what “appeared to be AK-47 style pistol and a replica AR-15 style Orbeez rifle”.
The boy was arrested and charged with unlawfully carrying weapons in a weapons-free zone, a felony in Texas. Police declined to release further information because the suspect is a minor.
“The Richardson police department would like to remind the public of the importance to report suspicious activity, as we recognize the vigilant awareness and actions of the person who initially called 911 to alert law enforcement,” the department said.
