An 18-year-old student of Antioch High School has been taken into custody after he carried a stolen, loaded pistol to school grounds, a serious breach of school safety rules and local laws, authorities said. The incident came to light when Kenneth-Michael Ivory passed through the Evolv detection system with the firearm in his bookbag.
Having been arrested earlier today, Ivory explained to police officers that he carried the gun for protection at his after-school employment and accidentally left it in his backpack that morning. According to a statement from the Metropolitan Nashville Police, the weapon, a Glock pistol, is also linked to a theft from a vehicle on Garrison Street last year.
While the initial charges against Ivory include possession of a weapon on school property, further scrutiny is unfolding into his connection with the firearm's theft. Metropolitan Nashville Police are expected to add theft of a firearm to Ivory's growing list of alleged transgressions.
Details on how the student was able to access the stolen gun or his rationale for having it at his after-school job have yet to be provided by authorities. "He brings the gun to his after-school job for protection and forgot to remove it from his backpack this morning," Ivory told the authorities, with a mention of the incident in the Nashville Police Department's news release. The Antioch High School community and the students' guardians are facing the shattering reality of a loaded gun being in such proximity to educators and learners alike.
