4 Weapons Found At Harford County Schools: Sheriff

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Four weapons were recovered from two schools in Harford County on Friday, Nov. 9, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. They included two BB guns, one airsoft gun and a folding knife.

A 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were each charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property in connection with weapons found at the Center for Educational Opportunity, authorities said.

Officials said around 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, the school resource officer at the center in the 200 block of Paradise Road investigated the possibility that there was a weapon at the school.

Using various investigative and surveillance techniques, officials said they found what looked like a Beretta 92F-style handgun in a student's locker. It turned out to be a BB gun that had the orange safety tip intentionally removed.

As officials were investigating, they said they learned a second weapon had also been brought to the school and found what appeared to be a Smith and Wesson semiautomatic handgun during a search of another student's belongings. It was a BB gun that also had the safety tip removed.

When the 13 and 14-year-old students were brought to the office for questioning about the weapons, officials said they found a folding knife on one of the boys.

Both boys were charged with possession of a deadly weapon on school property and were released to their parents' custody after processing through the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.

"It is ironic that during the training for school administrators on the response to an active assailant, three weapons were removed from the same school where the training was being conducted," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said in a statement. "But this incident goes a long way to highlight the reasons why proactive policing needs to exist inside our schools."

In a separate case later that afternoon at Edgewood Middle School, authorities said they located an airsoft gun.

A 13-year-old boy was found with the weapon after the school resource officer and administrators investigated the situation in the 2300 block of Willoughby Beach Road, the sheriff's office reported.

He was charged by referral to Teen Court for possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, according to authorities.

"It is through the vigilance of our administrators, teachers, and [school resource officers] that we can provide a safe learning environment for all," Gahler said.

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Photos courtesy of the Harford County Sheriff's Office.