GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The parents of a child accused of firing a gun at a toilet in an elementary school could face charges, as the district investigates what happened.
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Parents told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m. it may be time to consider weapons detectors.
“This is where my son goes to school, the bathroom he uses every day,” said parent Amanda Paniagua. “It could have been bad.”
The mother of a second grader said she dropped off her child Monday with lingering fear.
The district is already moving forward with weapons detectors at high school and middle schools this year, but elementary schools are getting a different approach.
After last week’s scare at Meadowcreek Elementary, some say it’s time to rethink that.
Jeramie Cavallaro has three children in Gwinnett elementary schools. To him, what happened at Meadowcreek makes his push for weapons detectors in every school feel even more urgent.
“It could have ended in that boy’s death or somebody else,” Cavallaro said.
Gwinnett school leaders say a student brought a gun to the school and fired it at a bathroom toilet Thursday. They did not learn until Friday that a gun was involved in breaking the toilet, when other students came forward to say the child made threats about bringing a gun from home.
“We will continue to do all that we can, all that’s within our power to make sure that every campus feels safe,” said GCPS Interim Superintendent Al Taylor.
No one was injured, but the student has been arrested and will face criminal charges, officials said.
Police are investigating how the child got the gun and carried it on campus without being detected.
“We’ll be collaborating with Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office to determine if criminal charges will be forthcoming,” said GCPS Police Chief Tony Lockhart.
The school district spent $23 million on weapon detectors for the middle and high schools. Elementary schools are still without them, as the district has focused on more school resource officers.
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