BB Gun Found At Old Mill High School, Police Catch Student: Officials

MILLERSVILLE, MD — Officials announced that they found an unloaded BB gun at Old Mill High School on Monday afternoon. The investigation prompted an hour and 15-minute lockdown at the Old Mill cluster of schools. Nobody was hurt.

Right before dismissal, a student reported that they saw one of their peers with what "may have" been a gun earlier in the day. The high school started to shelter in place around 2:15 p.m. while the school resource officer identified and searched for the suspect.

Administrators went to the classroom that the accused student was supposed to be in, but he was not there. Neighboring Old Mill Middle School North and Old Mill Middle School South then entered their own lockdowns.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department arrived and helped find the suspect in the high school just past 3 p.m. Officers spotted this BB gun hidden nearby.

School officials said they would hold the student accountable in accordance with the code of conduct. Authorities did not release the name of the 14-year-old male suspect, who they gave a juvenile citation. Officers only identify minors if they are charged as an adult for a major crime.

The shelter-in-place ended by 3:30 p.m. The high school dismissed late, and the other two facilities ended their days as scheduled. Staff supervised students until they were picked up. Buses were delayed Monday afternoon because of the lockdown.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools canceled all afternoon and evening activities at the high school. This included extracurriculars, games and practices.

Alison Mikeska (principal of Old Mill High School), Kathleen Brophy (assistant principal of Old Mill Middle School North) and Linda Chandler (principal of Old Mill Middle School South) released this statement in a letter to families late Monday afternoon:

We want to thank all of our students and staff for the amazing way they handled this extraordinary event. Everyone did as they were asked, and that helped bring this incident to a conclusion more quickly. It is regrettable that this incident caused such a disruption to our day and to bus transportation for students, but we ask you to understand that every action we took was in an effort to ensure students and staff were safe.

The trio also urged families to chat with their students about the importance of reporting threats to school safety. The group's full statement is posted here.

Leaders asked anybody with information to call Old Mill High School at (410) 969-9010. Tipsters can remain anonymous by dialing the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE.

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