A situation at a Manitowoc junior high school that could have turned tragic ended safely thanks to students who told a school resource officer that another student had a gun in the school, according to Manitowoc Police.
Two 14-year-old boys are now in custody and face multiple charges, accused of bringing a loaded gun to Wilson Junior High School on Tuesday.
Two students told the school resource officer Tuesday that they had seen the gun in their classmate's backpack, Manitowoc Police said. When the resource officer searched the bag, he found a loaded .22 caliber revolver.
He also found ammunition in another student's backpack, police said.
Both of those teenagers were taken into custody, but police have not said what charges they could face.
The two students told police they brought the gun, which allegedly belonged one of the boy's relatives, to school because they felt threatened by another group of students.
"They were at least under the impression that somebody else might have a weapon," said Capt. Larry Zimney with the Manitowoc Police Department.
The two student did identify themselves as part of a little known gang, police said, but investigators don't know yet if that had anything to do with the disagreement between the two groups of students.
Police are praising the two students who came forward to tell the school resource officer they saw the gun. They did the right thing, police said.
"They informed him of what they knew, and what they had apparently seen, and it could've stopped a very tragic situation," said Capt. Zimney.
Leaders in the Manitowoc Public School District said this is an isolated incident, and reassured parents and students that the schools are very safe.
"We don't have students typically bringing weapons to school," said Mark Holzman, Manitowoc Public School District Superintendent. "This isn't an occurrence that happens in the Manitowoc Public School District."
The two students involved are in a juvenile facility.
Manitowoc Police plan to have extra patrols around all of the schools in the city on Wednesday to help alleviate some fears of parents and students, and the district has set aside time for Wilson teacher to talk to students about what happened.
