TEWKSBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - Police gathered Thursday morning at Tewksbury High School after a freshman’s alleged threat to shoot a classmate prompted a shelter-in-place order.
An announcement was made at the school around 7:40 a.m., ordering students to shelter in place after one student told police that another student showed them a gun.
“We sat down and all of sudden, there was an announcement that said ‘everybody take shelter,'” Rylie Briggs told 7News.
The student in question, 14, said he was going to shoot another student, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
The student was arrested and charged with threatening the use of a dangerous weapon, two counts of threatening to commit a crime and disturbing a school assembly.
“We just heard that he was in the office and everything was getting taken care of,” Briggs said.
Students spent a portion of the morning in their classrooms with teachers urging them to remain calm. Students have since been allowed to leave school, but only with a parent.
Police searched the student and his possessions and determined he was not in possession of a firearm, according to the DA’s office.
The student was slated to be arraigned Thursday in Lowell Juvenile Court.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)