Boy Accused of Firing Toy Gun at School Faces Disciplinary Action

A sixth-grade boy at Roberto Clemente Middle School faces disciplinary action for allegedly firing an airsoft gun at another student after school Tuesday, police and school officials said.

An airsoft gun is a nonlethal firearm replica that fires plastic pellets. The airsoft tied to the middle school incident was described as “clear” and spring-powered, with an orange plastic tip.

“It was clear that it was a toy gun,” said Montgomery County Police Officer Rebecca Innocenti.

No injuries were reported. School officials notified parents about the incident in a letter.

At around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, Montgomery County Police Officers were dispatched to Roberto Clemente, in response to a call from school administrators, Innocenti said.

According to police, two boys approached another student and asked if he had proper coinage for a vending machine. But when the boy said he didn’t have the money, one of the students allegedly shot him with the airsoft.

The boy’s mother told administrators that she saw the incident while she waited to pick up her son. She decided not press charges, Innocenti said.

Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said the student who fired the gun, a sixth grader, will face disciplinary action.

“We take bringing a gun to school or anything weapon-like very seriously,” Tofig told Patch.

Tofig couldn’t comment on the specific type of disciplinary action the student would receive but said the student handbook includes suspension and expulsion as possible punishments for such an offense.