Two young individuals, aged 10 and 16 respectively, were detained following an incident where they were seen flaunting a handgun at a park in Buckeye. FOX 10 Phoenix described the event as occurring on Wednesday evening near the intersection of Sundance Parkway and 219th Lane. The Buckeye Police Department was alerted to the situation around 5:45 p.m. after reports of a group of boys handling a gun.
Upon their arrival, officers were quick to locate the pair that matched the descriptions provided by observers, discovering a handgun in the backpack of the youngest suspect. The older, only 16, was accused of being complicit in the incident. "Officers are still investigating where that gun came from. How did those kids end up getting that gun," Buckeye PD spokesperson Carissa Planalp told Arizona's Family.
The police response was not simply a matter of public safety, but also a testament to the effectiveness of Buckeye PD's new "Impact Team". Their efforts, supported by a grant aimed at curtailing gun violence, led to the apprehension of the boys, contributing to the safety measures in place for the community. The 10-year-old was released to a guardian, with recommended weapons misconduct charges, while the 16-year-old was taken into custody on similar allegations.
Residents expressed their concerns about gun accessibility following the unnerving discovery. "For a gun to be out where a child can get it is scary," Eva Quintana remarked, as she and her 19-year-old son Oscar were trying to comprehend the heavy police presence the night of the incident, as she told Arizona's Family. The parents of both suspects reportedly claimed ignorance regarding the origins of the firearm. Whether the 16-year-old will be tried as an adult remains to be determined.
