Washington Boy Arrested: Faces Attempted Murder For Bringing Gun, 400 Rounds Of Ammo To School

A Washington boy was arrested Wednesday and now faces attempted murder charges after he brought a handgun, multiple knives and 400 rounds of ammunition to school. According to CNN, the 11-year-old boy was booked into a juvenile detention facility after the incident that caused the lockdown of Frontier Middle School.

Evergreen School District spokeswoman, Kris Fay, told reporters that Frontier Middle School in Vancouver Washington, and Pioneer Elementary School were both placed under lockdown after the gun was discovered.

While initial reports weren’t clear as to who the boy’s target was, NBC News has reported that while in court Thursday, he claims that he brought the weapons and ammunition to the school to help protect a friend who was being bullied.

NBC News continues on to state that the boy didn’t actually harm anyone, but believe that to be the work of his mother, who called to report him. The boy’s mother called to report her son because she believed that he had taken some kitchen knives to school with him.

Parents were eventually notified of the event, primarily via a letter sent home with the students. Fay told local paper, The Columbian, that only a small group of parents subscribe to the FlashAlert system which sends out email and text message notifications, so the primary form of notice was through the district website and the school and districts Facebook pages.

“I really hope Evergreen uses this as a huge learning experience and changes the way they notify parents in an emergency such as this. Yes, I want all resources directed at keeping my children safe but if someone can take the time to post on Facebook, they should be able to initiate the flash alert system,” said Brenda Lehto Hudson on the Facebook page.

The boy’s next court appearance is scheduled for Friday at 9 am for bringing knives, a handgun and 400 rounds of ammunition to school Wednesday.

[Image via Shutterstock/Josef Hanus]