A 15-year-old West Hempstead High School student was arrested Monday after a loaded firearm was found stashed inside his bookbag, tucked away in his school locker. Police say the discovery came after a tip tied to an altercation the teen had with a Hempstead High School student the week before.
Officers responded to West Hempstead High School at 400 Nassau Boulevard at about 2 p.m. Monday for a report of a recovered weapon, according to News 12 New York. Nassau County police said the response actually began closer to 1:50 p.m., per LongIsland.com, which reported that officers were told to respond for the report of a recovered firearm.
Detectives said the teen had been involved in an altercation with a Hempstead High School student the week prior, and that information relayed to the school is what prompted a search of his locker, where the loaded gun was found in his bookback, the outlet reported. School officials searched the locker after receiving a safety concern report, and the loaded firearm turned up inside the bookbag, per News 12's account. School staff detained the juvenile until officers arrived, and he was taken into custody without incident, LongIsland.com reported.
Superintendent Details District's Response in Letter to Families
Superintendent of Schools Daniel Rehman said in a letter to the district that the response began after information about a potential safety concern was reported to a school administrator, triggering the district's security protocol. School administrators and the security team then discovered the loaded firearm in the student's possession on district premises, the letter said. The district safeguarded the weapon and supervised the individual while contacting the Nassau County Police Department, which Rehman said arrived within minutes.
Rehman said in the letter that bringing a weapon onto school grounds puts everyone at risk and will be treated seriously. The district said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement but cannot share additional details due to federal and New York State privacy laws, according to the letter.
The juvenile was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, LongIsland.com reported. He was arraigned in the youth section of First District Court in Hempstead shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, according to Newsday.
Bag Checks and Heightened Security Follow the Arrest
The discovery led to heightened security at the school Tuesday, with students reporting bag checks and an increased security presence, according to ABC7 New York. School administrators said they would use the incident as an opportunity to re-evaluate security protocols, the station reported. Rehman's letter said the Nassau County Police Department would maintain an increased presence on campus the day after the arrest, and that district counseling and support staff would be available for students who felt upset or anxious about the incident.
The district said it will review existing procedures and evaluate additional school safety measures, and will share further information as it becomes available and privacy laws allow, per the letter.
Not an Isolated Case on Long Island This Fall
The West Hempstead arrest comes as Long Island schools have dealt with several gun-related cases in recent weeks. Suffolk County prosecutors announced the indictment of a 16-year-old from Nesconset for allegedly bringing a stolen, loaded gun into Smithtown High School West on Oct. 26, Newsday reported. In that case, a principal searching the student's bookbag found a small kitchen knife, a Kahr P380 handgun, and a loaded magazine with five rounds, per the same account.
In a separate incident at a Baldwin high school, Nassau County police arrested a juvenile after a gun was recovered on campus, though police did not say whether that weapon was loaded, according to News 12 Long Island. Families told that outlet they did not receive notice from the Baldwin school district until more than 24 hours after the incident occurred.
