EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — A 12-year-old student at a northwest Indiana charter school has been detained after police said the child brought a loaded handgun to school.
East Chicago Police Department crews were called around 8 a.m. Tuesday to the Lighthouse Charter School in Lake County, Indiana for a student that was armed. The charter school is located at 3916 Pulaski Street.
Upon arrival, ECPD said officers were directed to the school principal’s office where a 12-year-old student was being held. Police said officers recovered a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and the student was taken into custody.
The student, ECPD said in a Facebook post, was charged with Dangerous Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm on School Property. The child was initially taken to the East Chicago Police Department Jail for processing before being moved to the Lake County Juvenile Jail.
A photo of the gun that was seized was provided by the police department:
“Our preliminary investigation indicates that a student overheard other students talking about having a gun in the school,” ECPD’s post read. “That student immediately reported the incident to a Teacher and the school staff acted quickly and identified the student with the gun. The child with the gun was separated from all the other students and taken to the office. The school was then placed on a soft lockdown.”
ECPD said that teachers at the school immediately contacted police and that parents of students were soon notified of the situation at the school. Police also said that classes resumed normally once officers determined there was no further threat.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the student and staff members for acting as quickly and professionally as they did during a stressful and potentially dangerous situation,” ECPD said. “Their quick actions and response to this situation stopped a potentially dangerous situation from occurring.”
ECPD said that any further information released would be provided by the charter school itself. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, no official release had been posted to the school’s website or Facebook page.
