A Prince George’s County, Maryland, student who police said brought parts of a ghost gun into the school, sparking a lockdown Thursday afternoon, is facing gun charges.
The student, who was taken to a juvenile detention center, has been charged with possession of a handgun by a minor, police said Friday, adding that further investigation revealed the ghost gun parts recovered by police made up an operable gun if it assembled.
Police did not, however, find ammunition or a magazine.
A ghost gun is a firearm without a serial number assembled from parts that can be purchased online.
The incident at Fairmont Heights High School began unfolding about noon Thursday after police got a call about a student with a gun. Police said they searched the grounds, found the gun parts in a classroom and identified the student responsible, who was arrested.
The lockdown came the same week a gunman opened fire in a Texas elementary school, killing 19 children and two teachers. Prince George’s County police said they were increasing patrols at county schools following the Texas shooting.
“As our entire nation continues to grieve the loss of life in the Texas mass shooting, the Prince George’s County Police Department wants to ensure the community that the safety of students in our schools is our top priority,” Police Chief Malik Aziz said in a statement Thursday, after the lockdown at Fairmount Heights was lifted.
In January, in neighboring Montgomery County, police said a 17-year-old student armed with a ghost gun shot another student in a bathroom at Magruder High School.
