East Hamilton Middle School student arrested after bringing gun to school

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: Chattanooga police have released the charges that a East Hamilton middle schooler will face after bringing a firearm to school.

"One of the backpacks contained a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol with no magazine and a loaded 9mm magazine for a Glock semi-automatic pistol."


The student was arrested and charged with the following:

• Carrying Weapons on School Property
• Unlawful Carrying or Possession of a Firearm

Police say there is no threat to any of the students or staff.

 
PREVIOUS STORY: Administrators with Hamilton County Schools say a gun was found on a middle school student on Tuesday.

An email sent to parents says the gun was found on a student at East Hamilton Middle School, after administrators got an anonymous tip from another student on Friday.

Administrators say the tip led to a search by the school resource officer who found the weapon in the student's locker.

The email says law enforcement was notified and school discipline will also be enforced.
The school system says the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is expected to release more information about the incident.

Here is the full email sent to parents on Tuesday morning:

East Ham Fam,

In full transparency, I want to convey what took place this morning on campus.

On Friday evening during the bus ride home, one of our students saw something that appeared to be a weapon in the possession of another student. Although the informant did not provide any specifics about who possessed the weapon, the information was shared through an anonymous Quick Tip to the district.

This morning, based on the limited information in the Quick Tip, our administration and the school-assigned SSO conducted a search that resulted in a firearm being located in a locker. Law enforcement is taking appropriate steps, and appropriate school discipline will be administered.

Everyone is safe and school will continue. I want to stress, we are safe and all of the proper authorities have been notified and steps followed. This is an isolated incident unrelated to any issues on our campus. Our safety protocols were followed and everyone was safe.

Email me if you have questions,
Dr. McCulley