Richardson ISD student arrested after gun found in vehicle near Berkner High School
Richardson police apprehended a student from Berkner High School in his vehicle, which was parked in a parking lot close to the campus, after discovering a genuine firearm and a simulated rifle.
RICHARDSON, Texas – Richardson police apprehended a student from Berkner High School in his vehicle, which was parked in a parking lot close to the campus, after discovering a genuine firearm and a simulated rifle.
An individual who witnessed an event and reported it attributed the swift apprehension to law enforcement, resulting in the school being placed under lockdown for approximately one hour on Wednesday morning.
After the school shootings, investigators from PD Richardson said that a student had a replica AR-15 rifle in the style of Orbeez and a replica AK-47 pistol. This incident has once again forced children to have difficult conversations with their parents.
Banneka Namasaka, who also has a child in the 9th grade at Berkner, expressed, “I have not had the discussion yet,” she exclaimed, ‘Oh my goodness dad, there was a lockdown,’ and she is ten years old, my daughter arrived home today.
A day after the deadly mass school shooting in Uvalde, parents, students, and educators in Richardson had a scare of their own.
LEARN MORE: Texas school shooting: 19 kids, 2 adults slain before shooter was shot.
On Wednesday morning, shortly before 11 a.M., Richardson police reported that a man was approaching Berkner High School while clutching what seemed to be a firearm. A 9-1-1 call was made to report this incident.
In a matter of minutes, law enforcement quickly arrived at the campus, identified the minor student, and apprehended him.
“I heard the sirens from my residence and everything because I am nearby,” Namasaka remembered.
Investigators said that a firearm was discovered in the boy’s car, which was parked across an intersection, away from the campus. The student was reported to not have a weapon in his possession while at school.
FOX 4 cameras were there when a Volkswagen Jetta in the parking lot where police were investigating was towed from the scene.
Officers also discovered a duplicate Orbeez rifle resembling an AR-15 style. According to the police, the firearm discovered in the vehicle seemed to be a pistol resembling an AK-47 style.
Namasaka expressed, “I am at a loss for words. I collected my child from Pre-K, as my child is five years old. The incident involving 19 kids in Uvalde is difficult to comprehend. It is challenging to articulate, my friend. It is simply, utterly frightening.”
Richardson police officers recently had interaction with the minor, but sources have not provided any specifics about the nature of that engagement, as per FOX 4’s findings.
The secondary school and adjacent primary school were placed on lockdown.
The authorities charged the young man with illegal possession of weapons in a zone designated as weapon-free within a school premises.
Once again, the focus is on the discussion about school shootings, as numerous students and educators have lost their lives hundreds of miles away in the southern region.
For Namasaka, he is finding it difficult to find the right words to describe the situation to his young kids.
He said, “We’ll see what happens, and I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable. Going to school can be tough because it’s a safe place.” I’m trying to figure out the process of trying to have this conversation and talk to her today, but I want to let her know what happened to her kids, who are 19 years old.”
Earlier in the academic year, according to two parents present at the school on Wednesday, the school district encountered a problem with a student. The student’s identity will remain undisclosed since they are below the age of 17 and have been apprehended.
Commending the individual who dialed 911, the district has not corroborated those claims, merely asserting in their communication to parents that the firearms were not present on the premises.