Gahanna student charged with bringing gun to school

Police arrested a Gahanna Lincoln High School student Tuesday morning, after they say he brought a handgun to school.

The student, identified as Marshall E. Francis, 18, never displayed the unloaded gun or made any “overt threat,” according to Gahanna police and school officials.

Francis told another student at the start of the school day that he had a handgun in his backpack at Clark Hall, located across the intersection of Hamilton Road and slightly west on Granville Street from the main high school, said Niel Jurist, a Gahanna city spokeswoman who provided a police summary of the incident to The Dispatch.

The other student immediately told School district statement

school staff. Two Gahanna police school resource officers quickly responded to the high school, arrested Francis and secured the handgun without incident, police said.

Francis was charged in Franklin County Municipal Court with illegal conveyance of a firearm into a school safety zone and taken to the Franklin County jail.

“While this incident is very serious in nature, it was quickly contained within minutes of the first report by the SROs without any harm,” the police summary states.

Superintendent Steve Barrett released an email notification to all parents, teachers and staff.

“School security and the safety of our students is our priority and our responsibility,” the school district statement said. “We are grateful this situation was quickly contained and we appreciate the swift response by our police department. We also appreciate the diligence and immediate action of our high school administrative team, teachers and staff.”