Student arrested for bringing gun on bus

Published 10:23 am Thursday, November 9, 2017

Clark County Public Schools administration and the Winchester Police Department are investigating a sixth-grade student who allegedly brought a concealed weapon onto a school bus Wednesday morning.

The district sent out a one-call alert to parents at 9:36 a.m. notifying them of the incident. In the message, Superintendent Paul Christy assured families the incident was quickly handled and students were not in danger.

“A student brought a concealed weapon onto a school bus today,” Christy said. “The situation was immediately contained.”

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Christy said a fourth-grade student on the bus noticed the weapon and reported it to the bus driver, who stopped the vehicle and called the police.

He said the student gave up the gun and was immediately taken into police custody. The weapon never made it to any school.

“If there’s any silver lining to this incident it is that this fourth-grade student saw something suspicious and was brave enough to tell an adult,” Christy said. “We want all of our students to know that if they see something that causes them concern they can and should tell an adult.”

He said police later determined the gun was unloaded, and it had been mechanically altered to make it incapable of firing.

Christy said there has been no information uncovered indicating the incident was related to a Tuesday night shooting that claimed the lives of two students at George Rogers Clark High School, Kayla Holland and Adrianna Castro.

Christy said in the wake of both incidents the district has made counsellors and clergy available at all of the schools to speak with students and their families. He said additional security steps may be taken in the immediate aftermath to ensure the safety of students and staff while they process the tragedy.