UPDATE
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says that two students have been arrested after a handgun and an airsoft gun were confiscated from them.
According to the sheriff's office, staff at Mesa Ridge High School received multiple reports that multiple students had guns on school property. You can see the sheriff's office's updated statement below.
This morning, staff at Mesa Ridge High School received reports of “multiple students” on school property who were in possession of a firearm. The on-site El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Student Resource Officer responded and located the student in possession of a handgun.
After securing the firearm, the SRO immediately located a second student associated with the incident. Both students were detained, and the school administration placed the facility in a security hold, while additional Patrol deputies, including a K9 team, could respond.
A subsequent security sweep of Mesa Ridge High School and the surrounding area was conducted, and the two detained individuals, both minors, were arrested on the scene.
The two students were booked into the juvenile detention center on the following charges:
- Interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions
- Possession of a handgun by a juvenile
- Unlawful conduct on public property
- Unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds
All of these are misdemeanor charges under Colorado State Law. The scare caused concern at Mesa Ridge parents to pull many students out of school early.
ORIGINAL COVERAGE
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says they are investigating after allegedly confiscating a handgun and an airsoft gun that were both found at Mesa Ridge High School.
In a release, the school district said the following:
Today, at approximately 9:14 a.m., the Mesa Ridge High School administration was made aware of possible guns on campus. All staff and students are safe. Our school resource officer along with our safety and security team took immediate action. Two firearms were found and confiscated. One was an airsoft pistol and the other a handgun. Again, everyone is safe and no one was harmed.
We understand how scary this situation is for our students, staff, and families, especially given the recent tragedy at Evergreen High School. We want to assure our community that we take matters of safety and security very seriously. Our priority is to keep students and staff safe while at school.
As a reminder, weapons and facsimiles are not allowed on school property. We will have school counselors available as needed.
The El Paso County Sheriff's office says that they will be releasing updates on this investigation throughout the day on Friday. Among the weapons found were an airsoft gun as well as a handgun.
No arrests have been confirmed by the sheriff's office at the time of publishing this article.
There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
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