BOWIE, Md. — A 15-year-old boy was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after a loaded gun was found at a high school in Prince George's County.
An administrator at Bowie High School, later identified as Lead Safety and Security Coyunselor Phillip Glover, is being credited with catching a group of boys trying to slip through a back door to avoid metal detectors set up at the main entrance. One of them, the 15-year-old arrested, was found with a loaded black and tan 9mm "ghost" gun with a 30-round extended magazine was found and taken from the student.
The school resource officer was alerted and the teenage boy was taken into custody. He was then questioned, but did not issue a statement. Police and prosecutors said a new state law shielding juveniles from direct questioning by police has effectively halted this investigation. Currently, they don’t know why the boy brought the gun to school, what his potential targets were, or who else might have been involved.
"For me, it's not just about the juvenile -- it's about where did the juvenile get the gun," State's Attorney for Prince George's County Aisha N. Braveboy said. "We know that we need big changes at the state level."
Police and prosecutors hailed the administrator Wednesday as a "hero."
"We don't know what could have occurred, but they may have potentially averted something that could have been very sinister and a very negative day for the community," Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston said.
The teen is in custody of Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services. A judge will review his detention, and prosecutors are promising to oppose his release.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to please contact Bowie Police's Criminal Investigative Section at 240-544-5700. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Prince George's County School System, the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, and the Department of Juvenile Services.
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