A routine day at a Casa Grande charter school turned tense yesterday when a student stumbled on a .22-caliber handgun lying on a sports field at Legacy Traditional School, prompting a brief campus lockdown while police swept the grounds. Staff quickly secured the gun, officers reported finding no additional weapons, and classes resumed after the all clear. By the end of the day, a 10-year-old student and his father were under arrest.
Gun Found On School Field
According to AZFamily, the handgun turned up on the pre-K–8 campus located north of Cottonwood Lane and west of Peart Road. The student who spotted the firearm immediately notified a staff member, triggering the lockdown while officers checked the school.
Police told AZFamily they did not say whether the .22-caliber weapon was loaded. Investigators stated that the 10-year-old brought the gun to school after making a threatening remark to another student, and they later identified the boy’s father as 35-year-old Matthew Ozorkiewicz.
Arrests And Charges
As reported by ABC15, the boy now faces multiple counts, including possession of a firearm by a minor, misconduct involving weapons, threats, and disruption of an educational institution. Police said Ozorkiewicz is facing an endangerment charge.
The investigation is still active as authorities work to determine how the firearm ended up in the child’s possession and whether any additional charges might be filed.
Police Urge Families To Secure Firearms
In a social media post that followed the incident, the Casa Grande Police Department reminded residents about “the critical importance of firearm safety and responsible storage” and urged parents to keep talking with their children about safety and accountability, according to AZFamily.
School officials said the lockdown at Legacy Traditional School was brief, imposed only while officers cleared the area. Classes continued after police lifted the hold, and local law enforcement said they would keep digging into the case to decide whether more charges are warranted.
Legal Context
Arizona law generally prohibits minors from carrying or possessing firearms in public and allows courts to hold parents responsible if they “knew or reasonably should have known” of a minor’s unlawful conduct, according to Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3111. The statute permits the seizure of firearms and outlines possible penalties for juveniles. Any criminal or civil consequences for adults will depend on the decisions of prosecutors and the outcome of juvenile court proceedings.
For now, investigators say their priority is keeping students safe while the legal process for both father and son moves forward.
