Moorhead police say a student armed with a stolen firearm was arrested Monday morning at Moorhead High School Career Academy.
Stolen handgun reported to Moorhead police. It was found in student’s bag at school.
Capt. Deric Swenson said that the incident began as a report of a stolen firearm.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 25, 2024 at 9:58PM
Capt. Deric Swenson told the Minnesota Star Tribune that a 17-year-old male student stole a 25-year-old co-worker’s unsecured firearm from their apartment and the co-worker reported the theft to police. The student wasn’t home and police contacted the school, but the student wasn’t on campus at the time.
Swenson said the school called back a short time later to say the student was in the school’s career academy building. “So our officers went there and took him into custody without incident. The handgun was on him, but we’re still investigating if there was any type of threat. ... The intent isn’t known yet.”
The student was arrested inside the academy, Swenson added. Police say the handgun was in a bag he was carrying and the student made no known threats of violence. He is being held at the Clay County Regional Detention Center pending felony gun charges.
While the unsecured gun left in the residence will also be reviewed for possible charges against the co-worker by the Clay County Attorney’s Office, Swenson said the gun owner did the right thing by calling police right away.
The school district said in a news release that staff “remained vigilant and on alert” after being notified around 9:40 a.m. of a possibly armed student. The student arrived on campus with the gun around 10:25 a.m.
“We are grateful for the rapid response and collaboration between our staff and law enforcement. The safety, security and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priorities, and we are proud of the systems and protocols in place to address situations like this effectively,” Superintendent Brandon Lunak said in the news release.
In a message to parents, Lunak said the district’s established threat assessment processes worked.
“Please rest assured that we take all threats seriously and will not tolerate any actions that compromise the safety and security of our schools,” he said.
Jackson Gatlin, his parents and Duluth Vineyard church are also facing civil lawsuits from at least nine victims.
