Student Arrested In Gun Incident At Manchester High School: Police

MANCHESTER, CT — A student was taken into custody by police Thursday morning following a gun incident at Manchester High School, the superintendent's office confirmed.

Superintendent of Schools Matthew Geary called the incident "a concerning situation."

Geary said the situation unfolded at 9:30 a.m., when a student left a bathroom and reported to an administrator an overheard comment made by a student regarding a "clip."

Police and school administrators located the student, secured the area, and took the student into custody. He was searched by police and found to be in possession of a gun, Geary said. Police said the gun was a loaded .380 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P handgun.

"The school is physically safe and secure at this time, but we expect that this situation will cause our students, staff, and families to experience a variety of emotions, thus we have decided to dismiss all students at 11:30 a.m. today," Geary said.

He added, "We will also provide support after early dismissal for any student who might want to process the situation with MHS staff. Support staff will be available for any students who need support this afternoon, and we will have a plan for school-wide support tomorrow."

A community meeting has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in the high school auditorium.

"I want to thank the students who reported their concerns to school administrators and the high school security staff, administration, and Manchester Police Department who reacted quickly to what was a dangerous situation. We can only keep our community safe when everyone who sees something says something," Geary said. "In these moments, there are no words that can make people feel better or safer. The truth is that we live in a world where we need to worry about the safety of our loved ones every morning when they walk out the door, and these kinds of incidents can make us feel helpless. There is no doubt that this is an extremely scary situation for all of those in the building and for everyone who has loved ones in the school community. In the days ahead we will have opportunities to hear questions and concerns from our community as we seek to process, respond, and heal."

Police said the 16-year-old Manchester High School student also had marijuana vape products in his backpack.

The student was charged with:

• Having a weapon on school grounds
• Carrying a dangerous weapon
• First-degree reckless endangerment
• Possession of marijuana by a minor
• Illegal manufacture, distribution, sale, prescription or dispensing
• Breach of peace in the second degree