Gun confiscated at West High School

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - West High School Acting Principal Jason Dorris reported to families in an email that a weapon was confiscated from a student Wednesday morning.

The email states that school administrators and Anchorage police “quickly located the student in question along with another individual and confiscated a loaded gun. While there is no indication that either student had intent to use the weapon at school, Municipal statute and District policy both prohibit the possession of any firearm on campus. Both individuals were remanded into police custody and will receive appropriate disciplinary sanctions from the District.”

Anchorage police wrote in an online press release that the gun was in a backpack that was passed between students.

“Patrol officers and additional SROs responded to the school and the student was quickly located,” police wrote. “When officers arrived, the student passed a backpack off to another student, who attempted to walk away with the backpack. Officers contacted both students and found a handgun in the backpack.”

The Anchorage School District website includes a “Be SMART” page that aims to reduce the number of unintentional shootings and suicides resulting from children who have access to unsecured firearms. The incident Wednesday morning is the second confirmed firearm that has been confiscated from Anchorage school campuses in the last six days.

“At 9:18AM on November 17, 2022, Anchorage Police Officers responded to Mountain View Elementary School after receiving a report of a student bringing a weapon to school. A teacher saw the student showing it to other students and intervened to secure the weapon,” Anchorage Police Department Deputy Community Relations Director Laura Holman wrote in an email. “APD arrived on scene and took over the investigation. No one was injured, and no weapon was discharged.”

Police reported that the juvenile was taken to the McLaughlin Youth Center, and that charges were forwarded to the Division of Juvenile Justice.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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