NEW WHITELAND, Ind. — An elementary school student was detained on Wednesday after he was found with a gun in his backpack as he rode on a school bus, officials said.
According to officials from Clark-Pleasant Community Schools, the student was on a bus that was traveling to Break-O-Day Elementary School in New Whiteland, the Indianapolis Star reported. At about 8:45 a.m. EDT, another student alerted the bus driver that the student had a gun, according to WRTV.
The boy showed the gun to two other students before it was reported to the driver, Timothy Edsell, the superintendent of Clark-Pleasant Schools, told the Star.
The bus driver immediately took the gun away from the student, WTHR-TV reported.
The bus driver immediately responded and took the gun from the student, according to the school district.https://t.co/isQXc9G7Om
— WTHR.com (@WTHRcom) August 9, 2023
Clark-Pleasant Police responded to the scene, according to the Star. Edsell told the newspaper that no students were hurt, and that a normal schedule of classes was held.
The student that had the weapon was detained for questioning, and Edsell said it was believed that the child got the gun from his home. Officials did not say whether the gun was loaded, according to the newspaper.
Police did not release the age of the boy who had the gun in his backpack, but Edsell told WRTV that he was of “upper elementary age.”
“I believe the students who saw the gun acted tremendously and appropriately by notifying the bus driver,” Edsell told the television station. “At no point was a threat made. The actions were swift, prompt and appropriate. I applaud the students and the bus driver.”
New Whitehead is located approximately 16 miles south of Indianapolis.
