Teen brings loaded handgun to school

Police arrest student who also had ammunition, pot in his backpack

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 15-year-old boy who they said brought a loaded revolver and ammunition to Atrisco Heritage Academy High School on Wednesday.

He is charged with unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon on school premises and possession of a controlled substance.

Deputy Felicia Maggard, a BCSO spokeswoman, said the teenager hadn’t made any direct threats toward the school, which is located near Dennis Chavez and 118th Street SW, or any of the students.

Around 2 p.m. Wednesday, school officials received an anonymous tip that a student had a gun.

“The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department immediately identified the student,” Maggard wrote in a news release. “The 15-year-old male student was found to be armed with a loaded revolver and ammunition.”

She said the student’s name is not available to be released publicly.

In a letter to parents, Atrisco Heritage principal Irene Cisneros said authorities confiscated the gun and marijuana from the student’s backpack. She wrote that no one was harmed and no one consumed the drugs.

“We take all such incidents seriously and have a school safety plan in place to help us deal with them,” Cisneros wrote in the letter. “If you or your child ever hear of an incident in which a student may be bringing or have a weapon at school, we ask that you notify a school official immediately.”